THE IMPORTANCE OF FEELING JOY
I have a lot going on in my head. I always do. My thoughts are a mix of emotions; some good and some worrisome. Some sad, some questioning, some exciting, some angry, some melancholy, and many joyful.
The best pursuit that goes on in my head is my ability to turn my negatives into positives. I can almost always find something worthwhile to hang onto. No matter if I am worried, sad, questioning, melancholy or mad. If I had to come up with one constant, it would be the ability to feel joy.
Little ways I feel joy:
- When I spritz myself with my favorite perfume, it is not a routine act. It is a joyful act.
- When I light candles around our home, it is not just an action. It is an act of joy.
- Every day when I put on my red lipstick, I smile with joy.
- When I run into a friend on the street my joy runneth over!
- Each time I see a new baby leaf or a bud on one of my plants, I am overcome with joy.
I can honestly say, joy plays a huge role in keeping me enamored with life.
Every once in a while I ask myself, “Why am I so fortunate to feel the emotion of daily joy?” Even when I am faced with turmoil! After thinking long and hard (this is one of the benefits of a writer) I reasoned into my answer — I have a purpose.
A PURPOSE
It is February, a dreary month in most corners of the world. Yesterday, at 7:45 am, I walked out of my condo-in-the-sky and took the elevator down 71 floors. I wished good morning to those in the lobby and ventured out into a cold and gloomy day that reminded me of Brussels. Brussels has awful weather, dear reader.
I jumped into my car, turned on my Hawaiian music instead of my French and headed to my pilates class. As I listened, I envisioned the sea, I smelled the salt air and felt the warmth of the Islands wrap itself around me. Suddenly the feeling of joy found me.
However, when I think of yesterday’s happening I realize the important reason I felt joy. It is because there I was at 7:45 am on a dreary, dreary day, on my way to my pilates class. It was because I had a purpose.
YOUR PURPOSE FOSTERS JOY
February is the month of love. We feel the emotion of love when we interact with people, places and things. February’s purpose, in my mind, is the month to shower love and friendship on others. How can you do this when you choose isolation?
It is very important to initiate! What do I mean? Knowing what you should or want to do is easy. Initiating your purpose is often very difficult. Especially after you have been in forced isolation going on two years of your life.
It is time to put your fear and gloom and doom into mothballs. Come out of your closet and begin to remake your lost world. If you actually do this with purpose …joy will abound.
“Living is a form of not being sure, not knowing what next, or how…The artist never entirely knows. We guess. We may be wrong but we take leap after leap in the dark.” -Agnes de Mille
PLAN A NIGHT OUT
Take that leap by deciding to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Plan a night ‘out.’ Choose a beautiful or fanciful outfit. Wear red nail polish. My favorite color of nail polish this season is A-list by Essie. It is a pure red, like Valentine’s red. Very chic!
Wear red lipstick for the first time. My favorite red lipstick is Tom Ford’s Jasmine Rouge. It is expensive, but so are you! Call some friends. Make your dinner reservation. Or plan a small dinner party at home. Bring little unexpected gifts for your friends. Celebrate love and friendship and feel love. You have a purpose. You will feel joy. I promise.
Darling, I have already chosen my Valentine’s outfits and gifts. One of my close friends made the dinner reservations at one of our favorite restaurants. I bought gifts for everyone. No one knows. It will be a surprise! Gift giving provides me with a sense of joy. To show my love and friendship to others makes my life just that much better.
A PURPOSEFUL DAY
Every day is a new day! So, take some preparatory steps on what you want to capture. Ask yourself…What is my purpose? What is my vision? Also, what will bring me joy?
My purpose at the end of each day is to feel some sense of contentment. To do this I have to be aware of my preferences, I have to concentrate. I can’t rush because at the end of the day, even if I don’t complete my purpose, I know I started!
CLARITY
Over the last two years you have had hours of solitude to think. Finding clarity is a mix of your feelings and thoughts. It is a first step toward ending procrastination. This is because you have had hours of time to identify what is truly important in your life. What does and does not bring you joy. This message is about joy. Do you feel it? I do.
STOP WINGING IT!
Since this is the month of love … start with loving yourself. Stop winging it. Take this seriously because when a woman loves herself, only then can she truly love others. What a great purpose to practice in the month of February. And, the joy it will bring.
I will give you a running start of ideas. The ideas can be physical, intellectual, artistic. Take a short time out of each day for yourself. Imagine you are a personal priority.
Simple ways to love yourself:
- Read
- Listen to music
- Workout
- Call a dear friend
- Buy a new book on Amazon ( I did)
- Make chicken soup ( I did last Sunday)
- Arrange a bowl of flowers
- Water your plants ( I did yesterday.)
In other words, be attentive to your needs. Remember, it is not a selfish feeling to think of yourself as a priority. When you are happy, you will feel joy and it will cascade to others in luxurious quantities. They will feel it. They will know. What joy!!!!
Happy Valentine’s Day, darling. I know the word darling sounds old fashioned or dramatic to some but you are my darling and saying this to you … brings me joy! I am smiling and off to my pilates class with purpose.
How do you maintain a sense of purpose and joy? I would love for you to share your wisdom in the comments.
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Honey Good, you make me happy! I am smiling also. You are pretty and positive and deeply thoughtful. Thank you for being a light!
Joy is the light. I just hooked it to my star!!! Warmly, Honey
Honey, I really paid attention to this one, somehow it spoke directly to the place I am in at the moment. So well said…wonderful! 🌹
Joy should always be in the air… Warmly, Honey
I’m trying your Jasmine Rouge Tom Ford lipstick! I’ve wanted to try a red lipstick; so, here goes💋💋💋
I am thrilled!!!! I am smiling! Let me know how you like it and how it makes you feel. Warmly, Honey
I found great joy in reading your post. Thank you and Happy Valentines Day to you also!
P.S. I loved being called darling!
I am so glad you felt joy in reading my post. I found joy in reading your comment to me. Happy Valentine’s day back to you, darling. Warmly, Honey
I love this article Honey. I just thought I’d tell you that one of my small joys is opening the cutlery drawer and looking at the cutlery that I was given as wedding presents from a number of people. Not only do I still love it but it also makes me think of the people who gave it to me and it warms my heart every time. Such a small daily pleasure but somehow it has never worn off.
Joy is everywhere! I feel joy seeing your name and reading your story. I miss you!!! Warmly, Honey
Hi honey,
I enjoyed this so much. I’m a lot like you in the fact that I do a lot of the same things you do that bring me joy. I shared this article with 3 other friends. One struggles with finding joy and this really helped her and she said she signed up for your emails. I find joy in music, curling up with a blanket by the fireplace and reading a good book or flipping through pinterest and getting inspiration, meeting a friend for coffee at a cute coffee shop ( my daughter owns a beautiful coffee shop here Ii In Broken Arrow , Oklahoma). I plant lots of flowers in the summer and spend many mornings and evenings sitting on my patio, sometimes in silence and sometimes with music. I have a sunroom so I watch sunrises from it in the cold months and in the warm months I watch them on my patio. This is a few things I do for joy. Thank you for all you do.
Love,
Trish
We are ‘two peas in the same pod.’ You get it!!!! I am joyful. Thank you for sharing with your friends. Warmly, Honey