Posts Tagged ‘Stories of joy’
It’s Surprising Where Joy Can Be Found
One of the remarkable women who received my invitation start her own Joy Journal found herself wrestling with the concept of small joys. A highly capable, intelligent, no-nonsense businesswoman in the healthcare industry, to her initially, Joy meant something monumental – like the birth of a child or a wedding. But the concept of Joy captured her interest and she decided to explore the places in her everyday life where Joy might also be found. I absolutely adore the piece she wrote about A Joyful Sneeze and she agreed to let me share it with all of you. Wishing you Joy and laughter in any size and form!
A Joyful Sneeze:
What I find joyful is a good sneeze…the kind of sneeze you really wind up for. The kind of sneeze only allowed when by yourself, well outside the earshot of anyone who could say, “Good gracious, that sounds like missile launch!” It’s not the kind of sneeze proceeded by rapid fire follow ups. Nor is it a wet and messy affair. Or worse than that, its not one which seduces you into thinking this-is-really-going-to-be-a-good-one, only to have this disappointing little oink squeak out! No, the kind of sneeze I am talking about is a singular event which starts with the faintest little tickle at the back of one nostril… quickly fading away. There it is again…tickle, tickle, tickle. Ah ha! Now you know you’re onto something. Careful, don’t jump the gun. Here it comes!!! ah-ah-ah-ah- ah-chew!!!
Now THAT was as fine a sneeze as I have had in a long time. Satisfaction.
May you find Joys in the huge and the tiny things.
Joyfully yours, Brooke
Today marks the beginning of my blog, 3 Minutes to Joy. There is something magical about the start of something that you have dreamed about for some time. There is the openness, hope and promise of where the journey may take you. And there is also the feeling of accomplishment. In that moment – the beginning – you commit. You start. You turn intentions and dreams into actions. It doesn’t matter how big or small that first step, now you are doing, experiencing, trying…and living!
“The distance is nothing; it’s only the first step that is difficult.” – Madame Marie Anne du Deffand
When I began keeping my Joy Journal in 2006, I had no idea the path upon which I was embarking. It was an experiment. An idea I had after a very challenging year. It was almost New Year’s and I was loath to write resolutions that I knew would be very difficult to live up to, I then would be hard on myself. Instead, I resolved to focus on a single aspect of my life that would have a wider impact: I would try to live Joyfully. That would be my gift to myself and also to those I love that had supported me through the challenges I had faced. I grabbed an old notebook and wrote on the front, “JOY!” The notebook was actually from a Nextel promotion, and said on the front: “Do you do?” Now it was complete: “Do you do? JOY!” And in the lower corner, “Nextel. Done.” Yes, I had done it – I had begun on a path to finding greater Joy. And in the nearly four years since, I have found that the small Joys have a greater impact on me because I am more aware of them and give them greater focus. Now the smile they give me endures longer. And then there are always the few but the glorious sources of big and major Joy, which have been given greater importance by the act of recording them. All of these Joys fill me with a sense of gratitude, wonder and greater belief in the promise of the next day to come.
This beginning, of www.3minutestojoy.com, is particularly important to me. I am looking forward to sharing with you the stories of how a simple act of taking 3 minutes or less each day to record the Joy the day held can really make a difference. Stories from my own experience, but also experiences from dozens of other people who have kept their own Joy Journals for a period of three weeks or more. I hope you find these stories, tips and ideas interesting, helpful, or maybe even inspiring. And should they cause you to initiate your own beginning – that of your own Joy Journal, I sincerely hope you will share your story as well.
Joyfully yours, Brooke
