Welcome to Day 10 of the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge (2022) I will be discussing topics of interest to those who identify as women this year. The Book Connection is lucky number 78 in a list of more than 140 bloggers who are participating in 2022. I encourage you to check out the list and visit other blogs with topics of interest.
JOY
When my girls were little, I did my best to keep them in the same routine for bedtime: supper, playtime, snack, reading time, then lights out. I think we all appreciated a schedule of knowing what would happen next.
One day, snow had been falling for a good part of the afternoon, and my husband arrived home from work later than usual. Supper was late, which threw off the rest of the schedule. As the girls undressed for bed, it was easy to see they weren't ready. On the spur of the moment--which is not a me thing--I suggested we get our winter stuff on and go outside to play.
The four of us had so much fun running around and tossing snow at each other. The girls decided they wanted to swing, so Paul and I brought them into the backyard, lifted them into their swings, and pushed them. After a few pushes, an enormous smile spread across the Lil' Diva's face and she exclaimed, "This is the happiest day of my life!"
Recalling this memory, even after all this time, has a profound impact on me. The Lil' Diva at that stage was tough to impress and tough to make happy... hence the nickname. That this spur-of-the-moment decision allowed her to experience such joy touched my heart. It is one of the fondest memories I have of the girls' childhood.
We can manufacture happiness, and it is often short-lived. But joy is different. We cultivate it. Joy brings about long-lasting feelings of peace and contentment.
When I learned to loosen up on how rigid I was with our schedule and work in some spontaneous activities with our children, this helped the Lil' Diva to be more content. She didn't know when these spontaneous events would occur, but she could look forward to them. Bringing her joy brought me joy, and it made those tougher moments easier to handle.
What is something that brings you joy? How do you cultivate joy on a regular basis?
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4 comments:
I love the word cultivate because it's a word that associates with growing and gardens. Joy then would be planted, watered and harvested like a bouquet of fragrance.
I find joy in meeting and loving people.
Have a joy full day.
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So true, moondustwriter. Meeting and loving people is certainly a joyful experience... most of the time.
such a joyous post :)
Thanks, ladyleemanila.
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