Joy
Our Advent focus for this week is Joy.
In the dark early hours of this morning, I spent some time reflecting on the circumstances of life that bring me joy.
In the long hours of the day, I was far more aware of needing to choose joy when things felt challenging.
As night falls, I’ve settled into thinking about the things I want to pay attention to in my life that nurture joy—despite whatever is happening in and around me.
Psychologists tell us making note of things we are grateful for each day will rewire our brain and allow us to see our life through a different lens. What if we made a slight change to the strategy and took time to notice sources of joy? Not only would it change the lens, but we would end up with a go-to list of things we could lean into for joy when needed.
As we walk into a week of being attentive to holy joy, I urge us to be attentive to those things that bring us joy. To spend this week making a list of the things, big and small, that nurture joy in our lives.
Some days, it feels easy to list the things that are joy stealers. I’m not advocating for a “everything is joyful” head-in-the clouds strategy. Instead, I’m inviting us to notice what nurtures joy in our lives. Perhaps we fill find somethings that nourish us in and through the things that feel hard.
Here is my list from today:
- lemony cucumbers
- fountains
- a moment of connection with family and friends
- sharing a daily meaningful advent tradition with someone I love
- a good conversation with my daughter
- an old familiar movie
- Christmas lights (especially when I didn’t have to put them up)
- letting Sunday night dinner be simple
- this Playdate Deck
- reading almost anything
- listening to Chanticleer sing Joy to the World
- Seeing someone else’s point of view
- cranberry juice
- soft blankets
- collaboration with a colleague
- snuggles with our golden retriever
- legos
- the part where the angels tell the shepherds to not be afraid
- other promises that stir my heart
- taking a long walk between rainstorms
What would you put on your list? What nurtures and nourishes joy in your life? May this week be filled with noticeable joy.
As a seasonal practice this year, I will be offering a Sunday reflection on each of the weekly themes of Advent: hope, peace, joy, and love. For a little added flavor, I will be posting a daily photo around the week’s theme on my Instagram and Facebook pages. To follow along, you can subscribe to the blog posts, and see the photos on IG (@hajames) and FB (@heatherane) if you are so inclined.
What’s playing on repeat this third week of Advent in our home:
Here Comes the Sun (Yo-Yo Ma and James Taylor)