I have the opportunity to talk with single women 50+ often about their lives and what isn’t working for them. It can get a little heavy. But this weekend I was reminded to suck up all the joy I can find in life! No matter what you have been through or what obstacles you are facing, you have the opoortunity to feel some happiness each and every day and if you fail to allow it to lift your spirit, then shame on you.
Let’s face it, there are daily challenges for everyone. Then, add the number of years we all have under our “belts” and the little aches and pains that come with those years. OK, keep piling it on. Sprinkle in some divorce, death and financial issues and you may as well just lay in bed and wither away. It can all be too much. So much, in fact, that you might be unaware that you have become a Debbie Downer. You might not know that your negative outlook on life now and in the future is weighing you down figuratively and in my case, literally.
So how do you turn things around? How do you start to suck up all the joy you can find?
1. Start small: The sun is shining, yay. It is Pumpkin Latte season, hoorah. You catch my drift.
2. Be thoughtful about your joy: Purposefully add in some happiness, whether it is buying some flowers at the grocery for your bedroom or cleaning your kitchen junk drawer, do something each day that makes you feel good.
3. Plan, plan, plan: If you are coming up on some tough times, plan some good to mix in with the bad for some balance.
4. Create your own fun: You can’t always expect others to entertain you. So you always have to be willing to plan your own fun, whatever that might look like. Whether it is a painting class or going to a movie, if you are just waiting for someone else to make things happen, you will be disappointed.
Here is what triggered me to write about joy today:
Saturday night I was looking forward to Sunday: I did not have one thing on the calendar for Sunday. I was thrilled. Then, my phone rang and it was my son letting me know that his wife’s water just broke and they would be going to the hospital that night. My first grandchild. I was over the moon. I had to decide whether to sit by the phone on Sunday in my jammies awaiting the news, or get myself there. Expensive? Yes. A difficult day of travel? Absolutely. Leave the house early in teh morning, from the dog off, get to the airport, hospital, hospital, hospital, back to the airport, arrive home at 1:00 a.m. on a Sunday night.
I will never forget my day with my new grandson in my arms, and no phone call could replace the look on my son’s face when I walked into the room after the birth.
Suck up all the joy you can find.
