Joy and Happiness

Today I awoke with my husband telling me to "get up, its a beautiful day!". As I tossed a bit I realized it really was a sunshiny, low breeze day. I hopped out of bed (well, not really. I don't think I've ever "hopped" out of bed) and I told myself of the things I would get done today. I'll start with my morning routine of meditation, affirmations and reading a ditty from one of my go to books by Shannon Kaiser or Brene Brown. I'll get dressed and take the dog for a long walk so I get my ten thousand steps in for the first time in a month. I'll shower and run errands including getting a new yoga mat. Oh, what a fabulous day it will be! I wasn't really thinking about being happy or experiencing joy. Just "get 'er done".

As I looked out my little 5th wheel window, I witnessed majestic mountains and fluffy cumulous clouds billowing past them. I saw the sun shining over the canyon. I started to feel something good. For me, the sun is my joy. It brings me a deep feeling of peace and satisfaction no matter where I am. Today I am in CA. Normally in winter I would be in my "happy place" Florida. The place that calms me. The place where I am emerged in nature and feel closest to God and my true self. Due to Hurricane Ian, we are here working on our forever home in the Sierra Nevadas. So, I will take this day as it comes and at least make it productive.

I start with my daily reading as my air pods are dead so meditation must wait. I pick up "Joy Seeker" by Shannon Kaiser. I know I talk about her and this book incessantly but I am obsessed so bare with me. I randomly turn to a page which I often do and open up to "There is no separation between all that you want and all you truly are". Lately, I have been feeling like giving up on my dreams. I lost my "happy" place in Florida. It was a dream and a goal I had had for many years and life feels empty without it. I'm here in Northern CA freezing instead of on my boat on the Gulf of Mexico. I guess I'm feeling sorry for myself and I'm definitely not feeling Joy or happiness at the moment. I do know that God does not want any of us to give up on our dreams. No matter what happens, because life will throw us unexpected nuances, we need to have a plan B and keep going. I know this and the sun showing its beautiful face today reminds me of this. Thank you Jesus for the sun and yes, the son.

I then picked up "Atlas of the Heart" by Brene Brown. It is a book about the descriptions of emotions. I'm now at the section about joy and happiness. She says, "Joy is sudden, unexpected and shorter lasting. Happiness is stable, longer-lasting and normally the result of effort". As I lift my eyes and look across my bed, I see my boys. They are now adults and I have their picture on my dresser so I can see them every morning when I rise. For me, that is Joy. When I am with them, I sometimes burst with joy. I physically burst with tears of joy.

When I am away from them I feel happiness that I am privileged to have them in my life. I feel gratitude and thankful. But when I am actually with them, my heart is bursting joyfully.

As I sit here sharing my heart with ya'll, I wonder. Will I have joy today? Will I choose to be happy today? Since happiness takes effort, this tells me it is a choice. Will I walk with my head down not noticing others and not caring for interaction? Will I walk with confidence knowing who I really am, which is not my feelings or circumstances. I am who I desire to be and where I desire to go and what I desire to have. That is me. I am not my emotions. I am me, made by the God of the Universe that says to "Ask and you shall receive". He shows us this with nature. Those big fluffy clouds, yes thats Him. The rainbow that appears when you need it most. Yes, thats Him. All reminding us of the promises He's given us. And, if He has given us the hope of His promises, then I believe He wants us to keep dreaming. Keep choosing happiness. Keep hanging on to those moments of joy you have experienced. If happiness takes effort, take the effort today.

So, I stepped away from my blog and ran errands. I needed to see where this day would take me. I felt more aware than I have been the last few weeks. It seemed lately I was drifting aimlessly. My errands ran smoothly. I'm not familiar with my new town so I opened GPS. I set all my stops for the day and off I went. Nothing backtracked, all was good and efficient. I like efficiency. As I looked around Big 5 for a new pair of workout shoes (I will be working out again so new shoes is a must) I noticed the rainbow stripes on the white Adidas in front of me. As luck would have it, they had my size. Also

as luck would have it, when I got to register the girl expressed it was my lucky day because they were on clearance! I chose to be happy today. I chose to see the good in my life and every circumstance. All went well. I got my shoes with rainbow stripes on clearance. I found a single tri-tip at Costco which is rare in a "buy bulk" only warehouse. The law of attraction was at work because I made some conscious decisions to be happy today. It was a good day. I think I will try to be happy everyday. I think I will also look for moments of joy and even seek them out. I think you should too. I'm thinking I can find my "happy place" where ever I am. I'm thinking I can experience joy if I am aware of the fact it surrounds me daily. So, happiness is a choice and to find joy we just need to notice it is all around us. May you be aware of the joy that surrounds you and find happiness today and everyday.