Well, I'm here to say that after 67 days of being home (and mainly inside) I feel like I've now simultaneously completely lost it and discovered SO many things.
I was talking to one of my best friends last week (hey boo!) And I asked him this question: "WHAT BRINGS YOU JOY?" And then I heard the tires screech in my head.
And thought "HOLD UP. RUTHY. WHAT BRINGS YOU JOY?" And I did not have the answer. Currently, the good things are things that pass the time. Or the projects where I find myself zoning in for minutes or hours and the rest of the world is out of my mind.
But to me, that's not good enough. I definitely would consider myself a positive person (with a healthy tablespoon of realist), but I'm always waiting for the other shoe to drop. And right now, what we all need is to feel JOY. And I'm not talking about being joyful for 24hrs a day, Season 6 #GreysAnatomy April Kepner Style. I'm talking about a window of pure joy, that could be 30 seconds, it could be an hour. But that window of pure bliss in the center of your chest where you can't help but feel the corners of your lips start to curve up into a small smile.
I often feel this when I'm sitting outside journaling. When the sun is shining, there is a slight breeze, and I'm deep in thought. I am totally at peace. In this moment, I often think how grateful I am for the patio space I have (I call it my bedroom and it's become a running joke with my #quaranTEAM.) But this moment of gratitude often becomes my window of pure joy, and it's when I feel the most at peace during this crazy unsettling time.
I'm trying to separate JOY and GRATITUDE from ACCOMPLISHMENT. And don't get me wrong I LOVE the feeling of getting to a milestone in my life, or completing a project, or crossing off an item off of my never-ending to do list (for those of you who resonate you know this is a HIGH unlike any drug).
While most of our lives feel stagnant or "paused," I think it's important to detach our association with our accomplishments defining our lives. Because they don't. You do. As a human being and the actions you take. And I think this time, is the ultimate moment to acknowledge what we are grateful for, and find the things in our lives that are not career related that bring us pure joy. Like for me, that moment of tranquility, or getting lost in a good conversation with my mom, or the inciting moment of inspiration.
So this week, LET'S FIND OUR JOY! & if you want an interesting read and some more info on how to find our joy, check out this article by the queen herself #BreneBrown.
You are doing great, we are going to make it through this, and why not find some joy along the way! LET'S FEEL THAT TINY SMILE.
Love you all,
Always here if you need a friend.
xx
Ruthy
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