A Purposeful Search

When it is all around us, why do we have to search for it? I can think of many things that help me to find joy.  Sometimes it’s in the sweet coo of a freshly bathed baby wrapped in a towel. Sometimes its in a beautiful sunset. Sometimes it’s the moment the kids FINALLY play together nicely after what seems like an entire day of bickering.  Or what about when you’ve just tried (and succeeded! Yes!!) at baking a new cookie recipe you had pinned ages ago. How about sitting down with a dear friend to finally have some adult conversation (that doesn’t have anything to do with kids’ shows or trucks or dolls) over a steaming cup of coffee – not your ordinary cup of coffee… this coffee has a pretty picture of a heart somehow magically etched into the froth… how do they do that anyway?)

Sometimes it’s so easy to find.

Joy. It’s something we all have known at least once or twice in our lives. (But I really hope it’s been more than that for you!)

joy\ ˈjȯi

noun

1a : the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires : delight

b : the expression or exhibition of such emotion

2 : a state of happiness or felicity : bliss

3 : a source or cause of delight

Joy is all around us. It is what lifts us up and carries us from moment to moment. Sometimes it feels like a friend that is so comfortable, we don’t need to search, we just know she’s right there with us, with a promise of great things. Or like the sunrise that brightens the sky on each new morning.

And then there are the other times… the in-between times, the times we feel like we’re stuck in the trenches. Have you ever felt those moments when you’ve just had “one of those days” and nothing seems to go right? Maybe it was a day where you feel like all you do is dishes and laundry. Have you had a day when everything just leaves you feeling defeated? Have you ever had a time when someone said something and it felt like a punch in the gut? Have you ever had a day when your responses to your kids or your husband just come out a little too harsh, only to leave you feeling mad about what ever the situation was AND feeling guilty for responding that way?

I’ve been there. I think it’s safe to bet we all have probably experienced at least one of these situations. But you know what I also believe? Even in these situations just like the good ones, joy is still there! We just have to be a little more purposeful in adjusting our vision and searching it out!

 Kind of like when I search for a match to my favorite pair of llama socks in a laundry basket of clothes waiting for the what seems like the 127^th day to be folded. (I KNOW it’s in there SOMEWHERE!) Or the remote control… Am I the only mom who searches under the couch cushions (what feels like) daily to find that dadgum remote that one of the kids stashed in a super-secret hiding spot in order to keep his brothers from finding it (but has since forgotten where it is hidden.)

The key is in the Search

Let me tell you, when I’m searching, for what’s lost, I’m relentless in my pursuit! I search until I find it! Sometimes by the time I actually find it, I don’t even need it any more! BUT I FOUND IT! That’s all the matters, right? When I’m purposeful in my search, and sometimes it may take a little extra effort, in the end I KNOW I will succeed in finding it. Even if it means I have to dump out that laundry basket and search piece by piece. I WILL find that sock!

Joy is all around us. Sometimes I give myself pep talks, and have to remind myself that my heart has to be willing to find it. But when I give in, hunt it down and find it, it literally turns everything around!

Listen, friend, the truth is, whatever we search for, we will find! If we search for roses, we WILL find them! And guess what? If we search for thorns, we WILL find them! If we look for joy, we will find joy.

Here’s the clincher… you can’t hold on to both a the same time! It is literally impossible to be joyful and not-joyful at the same time. I dare you to give it a try. I don’t know about you, but I prefer joy!

So I dare you to search for joy. Search with a relentless pursuit, even if it takes some time to find… you WILL succeed!

Keep looking in all the ordinary everyday life moments.

Joy can be found in the mundane, in the everyday moments. Joy can be found in the easy, happy moments and can even be found in the challenging moments. She’s there. Waiting.

Let’s start a movement to find joy! Let’s look in all the daily moments and around every corner of life! Let’s adjust our vision until the joy is clear.

Let’s find everyday joy!

“Joy is finding the holy in the small and the sacred in the everyday. Joy is here, in this moment, right where we are.“

Mary Davis