Everyday Joy Lists

Since so much emphasis is given to bucket lists, we sometimes lose sight of "everyday joy lists". Ready smiles, frequent hugs, joyful greetings, sincere appreciation, deserved compliments, unexpected treats, satisfying tasks, nature's beauty, amazing meals, marvelous memories, special celebrations, minute milestones, spontaneous laughter and lots of love provide daily joy. The bigger the daily joy list becomes, the more we are able to celebrate moments and create memories rather than always anticipating the future.

Well That's Fantastic!

One of my colleagues shared a hilarious story of his 85-year old mother's recent text.  When his son made a great tackle, the family immediately shared a photo with Nana, who was far away.  Nana's quick text response "WTF" alarmed the family, as they knew that this June Cleaver-like woman had no idea of the contemporary understanding of these three letters. 

He was eager to keep her from sharing this text messaging with anyone else before he could have a conversation to explain what was conveyed, and understand what was intended.  When asked what she meant, she excitedly said, "Well That's Fantastic!".

What we mean and what others interpret are often quite different.  Great communication requires checking for common understanding.

Seeing Clearly Again!

My sight has always been so precious to me, especially since my uncorrected vision is so very poor.  Until last year, I was so fortunate to be able to see very well with contacts.  But, 2014 became known, among other things, as the year of reading glasses within reach.  Having worn contacts since seventh grade, and then rarely donning glasses since my first contact lens fitting, I was unprepared for life interrupted by the search for magnification.  Julia and Gar laughingly asked if there were reading glasses in every room.  And the answer was a resounding YES! 

At my annual eye exam I expressed my extreme frustration.  When Dr. L assessed my situation, he produced another life-changing solution, multifocal contacts. 

I didn't realize how much I'd actually visually missed during the last year until I once again had full range of vision without readers. 

Regardless of the nature of our correctable issue, we owe it to ourselves to seek options that work, something that I once again see clearly.

Seizing Moments Throughout the Year

Happy 2015!  It's exciting to make plans to ensure that the new year is filled with joy, love and laughter.  Planning and executing against big goals is important.  Equally important is seizing little moments of success throughout the year.  And since so much of life is filled with maintenance tasks, there are abundant opportunities to acknowledge a completed task, that will almost immediately need to be tackled again.  Examples include those magic moments when:

• the laundry baskets are empty
• there are no dishes in the dishwasher
• every item on the shopping list has been acquired
• all surfaces are dust-free
• the trash and recycling bins have just been emptied
• correspondence is up-to-date

Acknowledging completion of a task is satisfying.  With the next change of clothes, meal consumed or incoming message, the cycle for that activity begins again.  Magic moments are fleeting but we have continuing chances to enjoy each small success.

Lovable

God and good mothers love us as we are.  Pets love us as if we were God.  May we all remember that regardless of how harsh we can be to ourselves, we are lovable just the way we.

Good Enough

My definition of great, for any specific task, and yours are quite likely very different. "Good enough" brings me much joy and far less stress than continually striving for an elusive "best".  Continuous improvement is in my DNA, but embracing "good enough" each day keeps me happy and healthy (and probably more fun to be around). 

I've decided to be perfectly imperfect, rather than constantly struggling for impossible perfection.  Good enough is perfectly imperfect.

Time to Relax

The glorious holidays are filled with marvelous opportunities to celebrate with cherished family and friends.  It's sometimes only when the last present is purchased, the last task completed or the calendar marks Christmas Day that we finally allow ourselves time to relax. 

Moments are often all that are needed to recharge our batteries.  I'm going to try to remember that regardless of how many items are on my perpetual to-do list, taking a few moments to relax each day needs to be a recurring priority entry.