This is Life, the One You Get
You know how sometimes life feels like a long trudge? Every run this month has felt like a trip through Death Valley, the car situation (my car is STILL in the shop) is wearing us down, and oh yes- my hamstring is still achy. I CAN’T WAIT until the weather cools down, I get my car back, and this nagging pain goes away. The other night I was happily reading my book when my daughter came out of her room to talk about my least favorite subject… her hair. Her hair is short now, but maybe she’d like to grow it out? Sara says she would look better with long hair. But Juliana likes her hair short. If she has long hair again, she doesn’t want it to be frizzy. And she’ll still have bangs, obviously… My mind started to wander and I fingered my book longingly. Then suddenly the thought popped into my mind: “This is it.” THIS is my daughter’s childhood, or what’s left of it. Next year she’ll be in high school and the time goes so fast. I know this because my son is in college right now and I miss him terribly. There will come a time where I’m missing my daughter too, and wishing she still lived at home, and that I knew all the thoughts going through her mind. Ever since that night, the theme song to “One Day at a Time” has been going through my mind (ah, the 1970s… could TV have been any more ridiculous?) This is it This is life, the one you get So go and have a ball… This is my life! Do I really want to waste any of my days wishing things were different? Especially the weather… wishing the weather were different must be the biggest waste of time in the world. The days where I’m sweltering hot, have no car and have to work all day are my life just as much as the great days. It’s not like some days don’t count… they’re all precious. In this article, Ingrid Fetell Lee talks about the difference between “happiness” and “joy.” Rather than focusing on the vague concept of happiness, she focuses on moments of joy, which she defines as “an intense, momentary experience of positive emotion.” You can find moments of joy on a good day or bad day. And the more you do it, the more the question “am I happy?” becomes irrelevant. So in the interest of appreciating each day to the fullest, here’s a list of things that have given me joy recently: The smell of my favorite pumpkin candle. The sound of my daughter practicing her flute. A nap on the couch with my cat curled up next to me. Earl grey tea. College football. Seeing the sunrise during my run. Trader Joe’s pumpkin bagels. Getting a massage. An icy cold glass of water with LMNT after a long, hot run. Reading a great book (seriously- is there anything better than being in the middle of a book you love?) I’m still cranky about my car. And I’m not saying I’m enjoying the heat of September in Florida. But I’m trying to focus on the moments of joy, because they’re always there, if you’re looking. Please tell me something that’s given you joy lately!