Monday morning musings, a weekend recap and finding joy in the little things in life.
Good Monday morning friends, did you have a nice weekend? It was beautiful here, the perfect Spring weather. We woke to cool, crisp mornings, perfect for lingering in bed with a book and a hot chocolate. Followed by warm, sunny afternoons, and cooler temperatures at night. There was time outside to work on projects and then a good night sleep with the windows open and a breeze wafting in.
I was paging through a magazine this weekend and there was an ad for this journal, Find Your Joy. It got me thinking, what is bringing me joy lately? Admittedly, with all that is happening in the world right now there are days it is hard to be joyful when so many are suffering.
Finding Joy in the Little Things in Life
The good news is that it is not hard to find joy in the little things in life. There is joy and happiness to be found all around us if we take the time to see it. A talk with a friend, a card in the mail, a smile from a stranger, a walk in the woods, your morning coffee, these are just a few things that can bring you joy and happiness.
The Little Things that Are Bringing Me Joy
Here are a few of the little things that have brought me joy lately.
Nature
1. Before I go to bed at night, I open the shades across from my bed so that the first thing I see in the morning is the blooming azaleas and the camilla bushes, which by the way are part of the tea plant family. The pink and fuchsia flowers are the only color in a sea of green trees and brown pine straw.
2. Every morning when I walk out of my bedroom I open my front door and take a picture. I look out to see the sun, the rain, the buds on the trees, the daffodils that have bloomed overnight and sometimes a deer standing in the front yard. I listen to the whisper of the pines and I smile because the view makes me happy.
3. It is our first Spring here at the house and we are “getting acquainted” with the flowering trees, the daffodils popping up in random places, the ground cover I unearthed under 5 inches of fallen pine needles, and of course the new landscaping that we had installed. My Lenten roses look beautiful along the path to the front door and they will soon be joined by my first peony bushes.
Routine
4. My morning hot chocolate. Not only does the first sip bring me joy but the ritual of making it and deciding which spices I feel like adding each morning(sometimes cayenne, other times cinnamon), choosing the cup I want to drink it from and then sitting and savoring it. I don’t drink it on the run, I sit, relax and drink it while enjoying a chapter of a book or pagan through a magazine.
5. Taking a break from social media and reading a book or a magazine, with pages( not on my Kindle) that I can feel and write in the margins if I feel like.
Time with Family
6. Spending the day with my niece baking, making necklaces, taking a walk and looking at fashion magazines.
7. Licking the spoon, and the spatula, ok and the beaters too, when I made my all time favorite chocolate cake and frosting this weekend.
8. Taking an hour to make these carrot favors for my Easter table and plan our menu.
Relaxing
9.Watching this movie about my all time favorite actress, Audrey Hepburn. If you would like to know more about Audrey Hepburns’ films check out this post from TMC. You might also enjoy Audrey Hepburn, the life story you did not know.
10. Planning projects around the house and trips with family and friends this summer.
11. Perusing the shops for summer clothes. Here are 3 dress I found at Mango just in case you want to add a little something to your summer wardrobe too!
Fuchsia dress from Mango.
Red and white embroidered dress
Tell me my friends, what is making you happy lately? What little things bring you joy?
I hope that you have a wonderful week. Thank you for spending part of your day with me, it brings me great joy to read your comments.
Note:I am note sure what is happening with MailChimp, some of my posts are not being delivered. I am hoping to convert to another provider soon. Thank you for your patience.
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Easter Memories
Good Monday morning, Ms. Elizabeth!
My husband and I have “Be Joyful Always” engraved on our wedding rings. During our marriage ceremony our priest pointed out that one can be joyful even in sorrow. We’ve tried our best to live up to that idea.
Have a great (joyful!) week!
Amy, I love this! What a beautiful affirmation to have on your wedding ring! Your priest is so right, you can be joyful even in sorrow! I hope that you have a joyful week too!
For me, joy often comes from spending time walking forest trails of walking on the beach. We have a vast network of established trails here on Vancouver Island so it’s never difficult to spend time in nature, away from the sounds of humankind, soaking in the beauty of wild things.
My daily creative practice also brings me joy. It’s as much or more about the process for me as it is about the end result. Creating feeds my spirit.
Bethanne, I have never been to Vancouver Island, but it looks and sounds lovely. I can imagine that walking the trails and listening to the sound of the birds, the water lapping at the shore are not only relaxing but bring great joy.
Crafting and creating also bring a lot of joy to me too although I am not a huge crafter but I do love to bake.
Thank you for sharing!
Oh, this post made me so very happy. I think that’s where my heart is taking me these days…
Leslie, I know that you love to be outside. I hope that now that the dust has settles at home that you are enjoying more time doing what you love.
Joy is sailing, the ocean and nature. I feel best when I am in nature, it feels like the true me.
Melba, sailing on the ocean is the perfect place to commune with nature and is so beautiful and joyful. I can imagine that your garden and plants also bring you so much joy.
Such a great post. The little things make me happy too. I think that’s important.
The outdoors gives me contentment.
Me too William.