Cup of coffee.
Work.
Kids School/Homework
Sports.
Glass of wine.
Netflix.
Sleep.
Most of us run on autopilot and survive on routines. Routines that we need to get out the door and get through the day. Those same routines can be suffocating and cause us to lose sight of the joy in our everyday.
While some might thrive with routines, if you’re like me you find joy in breaking out of the routines.
I have worked hard to grow an appreciation for what routines allow my kids and I to do. They are our base that we fall back to when we need them, but whenever possible we live to escape them. In those moments of escapes, the pre-dinner dance parties, the weekends spent playing at the beach instead of errands, the bike rides that turn into all day adventures. Those moments are almost always our most memorable.
Everyone talks a lot about the importance of expressing gratitude and while I also believe expressing and feeling grateful is important on a regular basis, I think gratitude misses a component of joy. I think we need to start asking ourselves and our kids what made us joyful today? What sparked our interest and created happiness in us and the people around us.
I’m extremely thankful for my kids, but on the tough parenting days they don’t always bring me joy.
Joy is exceptional happiness. When was the last time someone asked you how you were doing and you replied, happy. Surround yourself with people that make you laugh, do your best to not take yourself too seriously, get up and watch the sunset, host a pre-dinner dance party or set a goal to pick up a new hobby that you love.
Gratitude is good, but joy is so important. laughter is medicine for your body.
Where do you find the joy in your day?
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