Friday, March 06, 2009

Joy


A fresh day, a fresh start. I'm in much better spirits today. Thanks for all the support and encouragement. I made a conscious decision to enjoy the weekend and deal with the possible return of Lyme on Monday.

I cheered myself up by sending out two new writing queries (to ease my financial worries), making homemade butterscotch pudding (is there any food more comforting than pudding?) and listening to my "Feel Good" playlist. It's impossible to stay in a bad mood when belting out Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody or I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor. What are your favorite feel-good, cheer-up tunes?

For awhile now, I've been wanting to write here about joy. Although I've always been an upbeat person, CFS has made me more acutely aware of how important it is to find joys in my everyday life, even when things seem bleak. A few years back, during a particularly difficult period, I began keeping a Joy Journal. At the end of each day, I jotted down things that had brought me joy that day, and I began to realize that there were plenty of good things in my life, despite the boys and I being so sick. Many of the things I wrote about were simple - singing a favorite song in the car with the top down, seeing a bright splash of yellow forsythia in spring, or playing a game with my kids. I don't write in the journal every day anymore, but it's still there to remind me of the joy that is all around me.

Some of the things that bring me joy are:
  • My family, especially my kids
  • Good friends
  • Music
  • Reading
  • Nature, the outdoors, and sunshine
  • Travel
  • Movies and favorite TV shows
  • Cooking and delicious food
I plan to write more about each of these joys over the coming weeks, to help remind me of what brings sunshine to my days, even when the dark clouds threaten. And I want to share my joys with you and hear about what makes you happy, too.

Have a great weekend - I plan to!

3 comments:

Lori P said...

Good post, Sue. I like your attitude. As I told Jessie today, it's not fair and it really sucks, but what do we do? You can either crawl under a rock or go make a batch of lemonade with your lemons! We went for the lemonade.

Have a good weekend.

Shelli said...

Just today, in the middle of a mild crash, I heard my two little boys playing together after school. My youngest suddenly erupted into the most delightful peal of laughter! They've been giggling together for an hour and a half now. I think it's my favorite sound in the world.

I love the idea of a joy journal. I think it's a different take on a gratitude journal, which I have attempted in the past but let slide. I think I'll take your post as a challenge and start writing again. Thank you!

Laura (aka Mom) said...

I like your positive attitude! You always have something good to say. I'm glad you are planning to enjoy your weekend.

My kids and family are definitely on my joy list. I like your idea of a joy journal.

The butterscotch pudding sounds good. And I like your "feel good" play list, especially I Will Survive!

I hope you have a good trip and a good weekend.