Day 1,308 – Finding Joy in the Journey – Thursday – 6/3/2021
Trying dresses on.
I was trying dresses on for my nephew’s wedding as he is getting married next month in Chicago. In the process, I was having Steve take pictures so I could get some feedback. He told me to twirl and little did I know he captured this picture.
When I first looked at this picture, I didn’t really like it. As I stared at it a little longer, it made me smile. It made me smile as I could see a very different woman in this picture than the woman, I was a decade ago. Earlier in the day, I had been working on my book and was writing about how I had lost myself and the moment my confident business woman showed back up in my life. It was more than the confident business woman; it was the confident woman who once again started believing herself over what others told her. It was the confident woman that started trusting herself and her inner voice. She had been buried for a long time as she slowly disappeared in my late 20’s and throughout my 30’s.
As I look at this picture, I can see a confident woman. It doesn’t mean I don’t have fears. It doesn’t mean I don’t make mistakes or do things wrong. It doesn’t mean I don’t have doubts. I’ve found we all have those things. Though, what the confident woman in this picture has is that she has embraced herself, the good, the bad, the beauty, the flaws. She’s embraced who she is. She loves herself and knows that her voice is important. She knows she can trust herself and trust God to lead her.
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.
