Hi friends! Racheal Nye here again sharing some thoughts on how I've been able to create a little joy in my life. I hope you enjoy and feel inspired to find small joys in your life too.
I’ve started buying flowers for myself. Not because my significant other won’t buy them for me. If he thought for a second flowers mattered to me, I know he would come home with them more often. Instead, I’ve started buying them for one simple reason: doing so brings me joy. I truly love it. Walking into a store on an errand like buying groceries for my family, and the first thing I do is take a few minutes to look at all of the flowers and feel which ones speak to me. It’s a simple act filled with beauty, feeling, and joy.
This act began because when I became a mother, I asked myself the question, “When my daughter looks back and reflects on me as her mother, what do I want her to be able to say?” This is a complicated question which has turned into, “When I look back on my own life and reflect, what do I want to be able to say?” While I know I will develop more answers and they will change over time, I think the simplest answer I have yet found is making sure to look for joy in simple aspects of life. Over time, I believe these small pieces of life will end up feeling big, especially as they help me look for good when life feels hard.
I think this is something people lack today. It’s easy to get lost in comparison or trying to keep up with others, especially with the highlight reel that is social media. We get so wrapped up in this online world, we forget to stop and look around us, treasuring small moments which add up to big pieces of us. I know I have personally been very guilty of this trap, allowing myself to feel dissatisfied with my own life because I feel behind.
So, I am trying to be more intentional, and I’m starting small. What brings me joy? Stopping at the front of the grocery store, taking three minutes to appreciate and pick out flowers for myself, to brighten my home, brings me tremendous joy. And afterwards, every time I walk into the kitchen I see them, sometimes stopping to smell them as well, and again I am able to appreciate them. I find myself smiling, and I know what seemed like an action that just lasts a couple of minutes actually lasts days, sometimes weeks. Then, when their time has passed, I get to do it all over again. Picking out flowers for myself. The simplest action brings me tremendous happiness.
I wonder, what small act brings you great joy?