Day 1,117 – Finding Joy in the Journey – Tuesday – 11/24/2020
Creating My Own Joy
Well, this is a first on a couple different levels.
I am Creating My Own Joy. have always believed and was raised that the Christmas tree should not go up until the day after Thanksgiving. Though since I am not hosting Thanksgiving, why not? Some things that we see as rules are just perceptions.
Second, this is the first time I’ve put up a Christmas tree in my new house though it’s the third December I lived here. Two Decembers ago I was in the Cayman Islands getting married to Steve and then spent Florida in Christmas. Last December, Steve and I returned to the Cayman Islands for our Anniversary and then I spent Christ and New Year’s with him in England.
This year, I don’t know what December is going to bring. I’m not sure yet, where I will be and if Steve and I will be together. Even though I may not be here for the holidays, why not put up a tree? I’ve been waiting until the moment was perfect and the timing right to put up the first Christmas tree in my “new” house. Though in life, we don’t always know the perfect moment or right timing in advance. Sometimes we only see it in hindsight. We can’t always control everything that happens though we can do things bring joy into our lives.
My Christmas tree is not yet decorated though having the house lit by the lights on the tree, makes me smile and reminds me even though I can’t always control what is happening around me, I can create my own joy.
About “Finding Joy”
And I’m off…. the 16-day adventure begins. The timing of this trip is interesting so I’m naming it “Finding Joy in the Journey.” I’ll be doing one dedicated post each day (at the end of the day or next morning). Since I typically post more than once a day, you’ll find it as a black and white photo. I’ll share the joy of the journey (on the trip or through this season), where I’m finding it and what I’m learning. I hope to inspire myself along the way. And if I can inspire others too, that would be a gift. So let the journey begin…
It was November 2017 and I was ready to head off on a sixteen-day trip. Nine days before leaving, my mom unexpectedly passed away from a heart attack. It shook me to my core. I had always been told the 40’s are the best years of your life. And in a matter of three years, since turning the age of 40, I had gone through a divorce and lost both parents.
I contemplated canceling the trip though I knew my mom would not be happy with that decision. She would want me to continue living my life. My parents did not raise me to sit back and watch life; instead to fully participate in every moment. So I promised my parents to find joy in the journey everyday on my sixteen-day trip and share my experience with others.
Little did I know what “Finding the Joy in the Journey” would turn into when I acted on the prompting to share my experience on a daily basis. It helped me see life differently and my wish is that it will inspire others find joy in their journey.
