A Joy List
I have been leaning hard into pleasure lately. You? I recommend it. Like, really. Pleasure is an important part of feeling the JOY of being alive. We all need some of that. The simpler, the better. Why not make a list right now? Grab a pen or your computer. I can wait. No ideas? Well, I have got you covered. Here are a few things that made my joy list.
MARGI’S JOY LIST
My morning smoothie. I start my day with greens, berries, a bit of banana, ground flax, and protein powder. I add in a bit of kefir or almond milk for good blending power and kapow! In less than five minutes, I have nourished my body. If you are looking to upgrade your health but value ease, consider starting your day with a smoothie.
My morning walks. I mean just look at this sky…
3. My morning meditation. There is morning theme going on. I know. I love mornings. Is that irritating? Anyway…I am back to using the Calm app after trying a few months with Insight Timer. I am enjoying the Master Class on Stoicism with Ryan Holliday at the moment. Meditation makes my whole life better. My brain is still a very loud and random place after years of daily practice. Just so you know. Keeping the expectations real!
4. Savoring a summer plate of baked potato, corn on the cob, sliced tomatoes, and cottage cheese. Yes, please!
5. This new face and body moisturizer from the drugstore! It has a great EWG rating too! My skin soaks it up. (Hat tip—Catherine Scott).
6. Trader Joe’s dark chocolate peanut butter cups. They are addictively delicious!
7. Thinking of our friends (chosen family) who are offering Winston some time away from home with their family. What a gift! He is distance learning in Bremerton for a month!
8. More time with John. We watch Survivor. We watch POSE. We take evening walks. We make food. We read the paper. We talk. We hike. John photobombs my hundredth photo of trees…
9. Watching the birds at my bird feeder. It never gets old.
10. Cotton tank tops. I went years not wearing tank tops. How did I do that?
11. Burning candles from Bare or Brooklyn Candle Studio. If you need fragrance recommends, just let me know! Candles cozy up my space all year long.
12. Weekly dates with our adult children. They are my favorite people.
13. A new dish soap and surface cleaner from Magnolia at Target. Yes, it costs more. Yes, Mrs Meyers is cheaper. But for a splurge— and for as much as I must do dishes—I needed a little change. This fragrance sends me over the moon. I slow down when I use it so I can smell it for a longer period of time. It is slow motion dish washing, basically.
14. My time on the trampoline. Alone. I just lie myself on down (not on the bird droppings, to be clear) and gaze up into the trees. It is shady. It is peaceful. I feel like I am in a tree house, far up above the earth. It feels GOOD to feel like I am floating.
15. My soft bed at night. It is the ultimate nest for me.
16. My morning coffee. I have been exploring oat milk creamer lately. I have tried the oatmeal cookie flavor. A hazelnut flavor. We are mixing it up over here each morning! Coffee is joy to me. I look forward to getting up …just so that I can sip that liquid goodness. It never gets old.
Now, my list is not your list. You may have some different ideas. Good! Get started. Don’t be surprised when you start your own pleasure list though. You may notice you can just keep going and going. That is the nature of it. What we notice, grows. So, begin by noticing the pleasure you already have in your life and then, build in more where you can. Your life is worth ENJOYING.
I would love to hear what made your JOY list. What brings you pleasure? How can you make time for it in your daily life? You deserve to regularly feel the beauty and wonder of being alive. I am sending you my best wishes as you create space for JOY in your every day!
