What do you do when you’ve lost your sense of joy?
My life motto is “live with wonder and joy”. It’s always been easy to find something amazing on a short hike in the woods or be inspired by wildflowers blooming, birds playing, or children exploring. The simple things used to make me laugh and bring me a joy that sunk deep inside.
I recently realized that I’ve lost that. And in losing it, I lost myself. I walk every day. The wildflowers are popping out announcing the arrival of Spring. I hardly notice.
Today, I asked myself why? What happened?
Life got a little bit harder. Not much, just some pain that comes with aging. The news is bad, and we’re bombarded with the negative until we become addicted to it. It rained when I wanted sunshine. Nothing much. I’ve been through worse and wonder and joy still thrived. So, what happened?
This is what I discovered: I forgot to remind myself to look for wonder and joy. I forgot to expect to be awed by creation and life and people. I stopped making time to take note of the amazing, the beautiful, the kindness of strangers, the comedy of existence.
It’s an overused, but powerful word. MINDSET. When I wake tomorrow, I’ll remind myself to actively look, actively expect, actively take note of the wonder and joy in the little things and the big, in people and in problems.
From this moment on, I will once again live with wonder and joy.