Hello, friend!
It’s the start of a new week, and I’m overjoyed to drop into your inbox with some inspiration to create and embrace micro moments of joy.
*If you need a refresher on the monthly theme, you can find it here*
Without much ado, here’s the mindset for the week!
Sit back, relax those shoulders, and Drop In for a few mindful minutes with me…
“I still get wildly enthusiastic about little things… I play with leaves. I skip down the street and run against the wind.”
– Leo Buscaglia
In July, we’re keeping things attainable. That includes reaching for and embracing micro moments of pure delight. When we bring our attention to the little things, the small amusements that create a sense of joy, we find glimmers of goodness in the ordinary—even, perhaps, in the extremely hard.
We can’t escape the harshness of the world. To live in this world is to be broken open a thousand times. We can’t become so calloused that we turn a blind eye to the pain of those who are suffering. We must remain soft-hearted for them and us.
What, you might think, does that have to do with joy? Well, my friend. I think it’s the crux of the tension we find ourselves in. We cannot have relief without suffering. But we also weren’t made to suffer without relief.
Joy, in its simplest definition, is a feeling of great pleasure and happiness (s/o Oxford Dictionary). If we take the pressure off of joy being something that happens in very specific circumstances, [I will be happy when I can finally be free from____…Or I only feel delight when I’m at the ocean (which, btw, I only get to once a year)], perhaps we could experience it more often.
Children are some of the most joyful beings on the planet. Is it because they have high standards? Or are they able to more readily notice what is happening around them and embrace the wonder of a new (or favorite) experience?
A moment of joy can be as simple as watching the sunrise. It can be found in returning a smile. Savoring a popsicle in the heat of the day can become a joyful experience. The joy comes from the connection you have to the moment.
I had one this weekend while mowing my lawn (I know, right?! How?). Okay, first, let me just tell you that my procrastination was in full effect when it came to the backyard. It was a jungle (or rather, like a Minnesota prairie). I knew I couldn’t put it off another day, so I tackled it late in the evening (but early enough for the sun to still be up). I popped in my earbuds, put a favorite playlist on, and went to work.
The reality was not pretty. It took a lot longer than usual because of how tall the grass was. I burned my hand on the engine when I went to reattach the guard. I had to stop and refill the gas tank. Still, I kept going, taking it in stride. As I got to the last third of the yard, a familiar song came on. You know the kind—one that you can’t stop moving to. As I continued mowing, I thought, why not give in to this feeling? I changed my step to a shuffle, then a merengue walk. I was full on dancing as I finished up. And it was FUN. (Okay, it also helped that no one was around, and I could act a fool). It was a micro moment of joy, embracing the delight, in an otherwise very ordinary, even tedious, task.
That’s the thing with joy. It starts off as an invitation. A little inkling of, hmm, what if I go with this?
I don’t know about you, but I want to choose more moments of delight. I want to create mini experiences of joy in each day. I want to dance in the yard when the music pulls me in, lounge in the sun in the middle of the day for a few moments, and laugh until I cry over a silly joke told with sincerity.
Let’s get wildly enthusiastic about the little things, shall we?
What little things bring you joy?
Life is never too full to embrace moments of delight. As a way to drop in to what delights you, make a list of little pleasures. This will be unique to you!
Look for openings to embrace, or create, micro moments of joy this week and allow yourself to get fully, presently happy (playful, lighthearted, silly). Follow the invitations, the curiosities, and the pulls toward the sweetness of delight.
Do you have a micro moment of joy you’d like to share? Drop it in the comments so we can celebrate with you!
You bring me JOY!!!!!