Let’s do a little exercise! Open a document on your computer, or grab a sheet of paper, and answer the following prompts:
Who is someone who has invested in you and helped you get where you are now?
What is something in your home that makes your life SO much easier?
Who last made you laugh?
What song have you listened to recently that helped you relax?
What Fall treat are you able to pick up at the store or caffe?
Who last looked at you and gave you a genuine smile?
What are you grateful for in this moment?
We have so many people who touch our lives on a daily basis, so many things and treats we may take for granted. What are the little things throughout your day that make your day easier? The people who make you feel loved? The sights and sounds that fill your heart with contentment?
My challenge for you this week is to find one of the people on your list – who has made you laugh, who has helped you smile, or who has invested time in you out of the overflow of their heart – and thank them, if possible. Send a card, send an email – even better, tell them in person!
If the person you wish to thank is no longer with you, consider writing a letter to them – as if they are still here, or knowing they are gone, however your heart leads – telling them what you wish you could say to them. Or if you know one of their family members, they may find it a comfort to hear what you wish you could say, too. They may have things of their own they wish they could say, and you could find a blessing together in remembering and sharing.
In 2021, the word I put on my vision board as my “word for the year” was this:
Bliss – “Perfect Happiness”
Kind of a tall order, I thought. But still, my goal for the word was to start focusing on the everyday moments of bliss in my life.
All of us have everyday moments of bliss that pass us by. Sometimes we notice them for a blink of an eye, but we are thinking about other things, we have somewhere to be, we have something we want to go do. And so they move on and we move on.
But what would happen if we actually stopped and fully experienced those everyday moments of bliss?
That sunset that catches your eye and your breath when you pull into your driveway after work. Instead of heading right inside and getting on with the evening, take a moment. Come back out of the garage and soak in the colors for even 60 seconds. Ask your dog if they want to go for a quick walk around the block (they’ll likely say yes) and take a few minutes to enjoy the evening.
That cup of coffee you grab on your way into work. It’s your favorite. Take 30 to 60 seconds and fully realize you have this treat right in your hands. Does it smell good? How does it taste? How does it make you feel to have this treat and be able to enjoy it?
The good friends across the table from you, laughing at a story that was told. These are your people – they say friends are the “family you choose”. They are smiling at you and trying to draw you into the conversation. Take 30-60 seconds to look around at these faces and let yourself sit with the joy of their presence and friendship
I encourage you to be on the lookout for moments of bliss in your life today and this week. You never know what beauty and joy are waiting for you in your everyday life!
Was it playing a sport? Hanging out with your dog? Learning something new in school? Playing an instrument? Going swimming in the lake during a hot summer day? Going sledding on a snowy January afternoon?
Our interests and priorities change as we go from childhood to adulthood – but don’t write off everything on your childhood enjoyment list quite yet.
Sometimes what we loved to do as a kid can give us a good indication of ways we can relax and recharge now, even as adults.
It’s okay to play, relax, recharge, and have fun, even as adults.
In fact, it’s even important that we do so!
Relaxing, recharging, forgetting the cares of our daily lives for a little while as we loosen up and have some fun – these are things that help the parasympathetic nervous system to kick in and help our body relax.
Once we relax, we can begin the process of resting and healing.
For some of you, perhaps your childhood interests lead you to where you are now, and you are excited about the direction your life is going. For others, perhaps you found a new path as an adult and are content, but feel a little like you are going through the motions of life without actually living it.
And some…may feel completely lost.
Going back to what brought you joy as a child may be an interesting activity for many. Maybe it will simply be a fun trip down memory lane. Maybe it will give you some ideas on some “play time” you can bring back into your life. And for others…maybe it can give some clue to a new direction you want to try.
A couple real-life examples.
You may have interests as an adult that at first may seem to have almost nothing to do with your interests as a child. Our interests do change as we get older and have the opportunities to try new things, but often they may be linked to something we were exposed to without realizing it.
I played violin and piano growing up, and while I was exposed to music constantly from the time I was tiny, I don’t remember it being a big interest of mine until I was probably in my late teens or early twenties.
Now as an adult, music has become a definite interest in my life. It’s actually become a hobby! I was introduced to the world of Sound Engineering, and I love to work with music, listen to music, and learn about music.
I didn’t really know this world existed until I was introduced to it as an adult, but likely the exposure I had to music and instruments as a child and teen helped me see the beauty in music and Sound Engineering as an adult.
Other times we have interests as a child that either we leave behind for some reason or another, or they quietly follow us into our adult lives – watching from the shadows of the past, but never really leaving us alone.
Drawing is one of those things for me. I was drawing all the time as a kid, well into my teens. Then I stopped drawing. Then I started, then I stopped. Then I started, then I stopped…
A friend of mine has told me that that’s life. Different things take center stage at different times of our lives, and that’s okay. Something you couldn’t get enough of at one time, you may not even touch for a few years in the future. Maybe you will go back to it, maybe you won’t. Either way, it’s okay.
So far, drawing is something I always seem to go back to, no matter how often I start and stop. Drawing does what it did for me as a kid – it takes me away from whatever is happening in my life and mind for awhile and helps me relax.
What did you like to do as a kid?
Did you like to play sports growing up? While there are video games for that, maybe instead or in addition you’d like to reach out and see about helping to coach a neighborhood little league team, or see if there are adult neighborhood sports in your area. Adult Volleyball, Basketball, Softball, Ice Skating, and Kickball may be options in your area!
Did you like hanging out with your dog as a kid? If you don’t have a furry friend now because your apartment doesn’t allow pets, perhaps you could see about volunteering at a local animal shelter, or volunteering to walk dogs in your neighborhood. If have a furry friend (or two!) and you are both active souls, there may be agility teams, flyball teams, herding trials, or other activities in your area that would appeal to both of you!
Did you like learning new things in school, but your college days are behind you? Maybe you’d like to find an app for your phone and learn a new language. Maybe you’d like to research a topic that interests you, and head to the library’s nonfiction book section. If you have extra time, maybe you’d enjoy taking a short course from a local or online school, and deepen your knowledge or learn a new skill!
I encourage you to think back over your childhood and pick out a list of things that brought you joy.
Do you do any of these things now?
Did these joys shape who you are and what you do today?
Would you like to try bringing any of those joys back into your life in a new way?
Two days ago, it was Thanksgiving here in the USA.
Which means full-speed-ahead to Christmas and New Years.
It is hard not to feel the rush-and-tumble of the holidays ahead. But I want to encourage you to press pause every day over the next month, even if it’s just for a moment.
Pause for a few moments to enjoy the sunrise or the sunset. Pause for a few moments to really enjoy that seasonal treat you are inhaling. Pause for a few moments to appreciate the family you have around you and the friends who stayed in touch through COVID. Pause for a moment to revisit your inner child and kick your feet through the fallen leaves – or build a snowman, if you have enough of the white stuff already!
Just pause. Find those moments of everyday Bliss and be fully present with them. Express gratitude in your heart for the moment – let yourself smile, let yourself enjoy it – then keep going with your day until the time comes to hit Pause again.
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