I was scrolling through Facebook ever so gently. Lately that space has become very toxic for me, so I try to move swiftly in order to move over things that are unpleasant in the quickest way. I saw a link from Maggie about how it is our involvement and pursuit of our own happiness that we truly find it. It made me smile. It may not be as simple as believing that you can be happy for everyone, but as I saw the sentiment in black and white on the screen, shared by someone who knows intimately the struggle with mental and emotional swings, I felt hope.
This past week I’ve been on the West Coast for a super quick, very important visit to celebrate a career that is ending, opening the door to new things. My stepdad has retired from the theatre where he worked for nearly thirty years, and I worked for many years too, and will fly to Africa Thursday with my sister for a 5+ week experience with Habitat for Humanity.
Finley and I flew out late Tuesday and returned home Friday night. Her sisters and Sean stayed back so that the girls could complete the NYS tests, about which I have many feelings, but am going to just say that I am grateful to the teachers for their efforts. We all crammed those days with every bit of “Yes” that we could. All of this time with Finley being my primary focus, I discovered that she is a conduit to joy. It doesn’t occur to her to marinate in anger or freeze in sorrow, each moment is an opportunity to enjoy something.
I’ll let snapshots of our time speak for themselves and say just this, I hope that when you find your unique conduit to joy, maybe it’s a child, maybe it’s a pet, or maybe it’s long distance running, that you embrace it. Hold tight to that thing that allows you peace and joy, because it really is up to us to accept the opportunities, embrace the opportunities, and double down on the chance that we really can cultivate our joy.
A bath…
A dandelion…
Walking up to the tippy top…
Getting close enough to feel water on her face…
Being super spies in the silver metal booth…
Catnapping on Snoopy in the unexpected din of Newark before dawn…
I probably can’t be quite as exuberant and constant in my pursuit and openness to joy as Fin, but I am trying. Yesterday I spent time with my team from Trampoline beneath an impossibly blue Adirondack sky, then later we went and sat around a fire with good friends as our kids played with new friends in a swing set and a makeshift baseball field.
Today, after chores and things that could have kept me busy straight through bedtime, I slipped away and hiked a mountain with Sean. Our lungs burned and our eyes watered, but beneath it all, our mouths broke into enormous smiles and we felt glad straight through to our feet for this day, this life, and this love.
Thank you for sharing your happiness. Love the pictures!
Thank you, Alison. Your pictures, particularly the latest one with the matching twins in navy delight me!
What an amazing little girl. Clearly she gets it from her mother.
That would be amazing. Little bits of me, I’m sure, but she’s a whole new kind of awesome.
Love this, Amanda. A resounding yes to cultivating joy…
May we all have fantastic green thumbs for joy.
That photo of her at the water fountain…true perfection. I am so glad that you got the chance to enjoy each other one on one like that–you know I understand that feeling well. And I too am holding tight. xo
It was amazing, Kristen, and what you don’t see is that there was ANOTHER rainbow high up in the sky. The fountain water responded to the music playing.
This all makes me very smiley. Thanks for sharing the happy!
I love thinking that our adventures stretched to your corner of the world to tickle out another smile. xo
Oh, thank you for this reminder. Lovely. xox
Fun to read this again. There is a DISC test used in search firms’ hiring. Four colors make up each person’s temperament and style. A dose of “yellow” is coveted for the joy such people bring to work teams. Fun is ALL yellow, a rare treat for the world. As is your writing btw.