Finding Joy Revisiting 2021...

I found joy in a few moments in 2021. This last year has been a struggle for many but I started the year searching for the meaning of joy. Joy is found through the living practice of gratitude. I found that starting my day with quiet time, focusing on gratitude, greatly aided in finding joy in everyday moments. When evaluating 2020, I realized I had focused primarily on work or the mind and wanted to shift the focus to spiritual wellness in 2021.  While I didn't reach all of my goals, I did make great gains in my spiritual and mental wellness column last year and continue to make great gains in all three targeted areas:  mind, body, and spirit. 

This upcoming new year, I would like to place a greater emphasis on body wellness, which I have neglected. I could use more exercise, outdoor time, time away from my computer, less media, which I feel would help me focus on positive messaging. I would like to feel the characteristics of good health through improved flexibility, and strength because by the end of the day I am stiff, have aching joints, and just don't feel youthful. I want to feel relaxed, energized, joyful, valued, excited, loved, and strong. This will require me to value myself enough to take time to take action to value and love myself more so that I can focus on my physical wellness through daily practice. 

I learned in 2021 to not take life for granted. We lost so many loved ones during the pandemic and found society at times searching for hope and joy. Change is hard. It is a choice to view change as an opportunity for growth, viewing through the lens of renewed hope and new dreams. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

5 Life Lessons Backpacking Taught Me

Image
Growing up my family taught me a large appreciation for the Great Outdoors. Hiking with my father and grandmother early in life formed a spirit of adventure and love for nature.  I feel like we have passed on to my two sons. Growing up in rural Texas, I spent a lot of time hiking around the Colorado River, exploring caves, playing hide and seek with friends in the hill country. In fact, graduation night I will never forget our Glen Rose M&W Ranch adventure. As a college student, I backpacked, canoed, and explored the Great American West.  As young adult hiked the Grand Canyon in 1999, parts of the AT in 1999, 5 trips in a tent across Europe from 1998-2009, Ontario in 2010 and 2012, and have camped in over 33 states. During the last 5 years, like so many became preoccupied with other things and haven't backpacked. I know I haven't backpacked  alone in over 20 years. This last weekend I was fortunate to connect with the North Texas Outdoors Meetup Group and took a leap of
Read more

Future Focus

Image
With the start of the school year, many regroup to reconsider goals. The two year anniversary of my divorce was last weekend and I found myself in a place of reflection. My family has learned so much these last two years. I am much stronger and cognizant of my surroundings, purpose, behaviors, and reactions to situations. None of us are perfect, but we need to be aware and conscious on how we react to situations. Is our reaction coming from a spirit of love, or is the reaction rooted in fear or anger? Here are some goals I hope to remind myself to consider this fall. Learn to cultivate gratitude. Care for your neighbors and community. Practice 3 outcomes or results that you are committed to 6 months out. For me wrapping up PhD hopefully in September, graduation in December, and health. Love is shown through ACTION, not words. How do you show love in all that you do? Care less, but love more. Fear and anger are the two emotions that hurt individuals the most. Fear or worry is
Read more

Rejoice ~ Locating joy in 2023!

Image
In 2019, I began the practice of annual reflection to improve my spiritual, physical, and mental health putting into practice daily journaling/gratitude morning meditation and the development of an annual vision board. In 2022, I spent the entire year studying the art of finding joy. Continuing with this study, I thought it would be important in 2023 to put daily work into learning how to choose joy or recognizing gifts presented to us by the universe daily and to focus on the act of rejoicing in small things. I can say that I am learning to practice joy through the act of rejoicing daily. While I don't always feel positive, I am learning practices and starting to see the fruit from these daily acts. Yes, life is going to be frustrating, people will let us down. At times circumstances are painful, and it is hard to keep going. I sometimes still fail at this, but I through God's help and learning to put my faith in a higher purpose, I am making progress. It is still a daily stru
Read more