Finding Joy

How many of us can honestly say we find joy in our life every day? The sheer fact is that, if we actively look for it, it is there. Whether it is found in the shining sun, the smiling face of a loved one, or even the things we take for granted such as our homes, it is present. Negativity surrounds us. All we need to do is turn on the television and we are bombarded with tragedies from around the world. Even on a local scale, one rarely hears good news. Instead, the media seemingly try to prey upon our fears under the pretense of keeping us “safe”. While I do not believe we should turn into ostriches and bury our heads to the reality of the world in which we live, I do believe it is important to not focus solely on the tragedies, but on the positive and uplifting stories as well. Some might argue that there are no such stories, but I disagree! While there will always be hard times for some (or all) of us, how enjoyable would life be if that was our focus day in and day out? As I stated before, joy is around us - we just need to look a bit harder at times. It is as one of my favorite quotes (by an author unknown to me) states: “God blesses us every day; it’s up to us to notice.” When is the last time you noticed? I recently had a conversation with my parents regarding this subject. I have found that lately it really doesn’t take much for me to get excited about something and feel true joy. It was my birthday last week, and although I didn’t relish the idea of turning another year older, I started thinking about what that number meant to me. If I hadn’t lived for this long, I wouldn’t have my wonderful husband or my two amazing children. I wouldn’t have a house that I love, or a peace of mind that comes (I believe) with age. While in my head I will be forever 24, I am happy that I have a few more years than that under my belt. Instead of getting depressed and mourning the passage of another year, I was joyful because I was blessed to live another year. I realize to some this may seem a simplistic approach, but why make it difficult? Why allow ourselves to be unhappy when there is a simple solution within each of us? Today I attended a tea party on the floor of my daughter’s room. She “served” chocolate tea with raisinberry cookies. It was a most delightful time! Although I did not get accomplished some of the things I had on my list, I had a wonderful time with my daughter. I know I will find the time here and there to catch up on my tasks, so I chose to spend that time with her and help both of us find some joy today. Now go find yours!

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