finding joy

Sometimes life throws us for a loop.  Sometimes things are just plain hard.  They don't make sense.  We struggle to get through the day, only to toss and turn at night, not getting good rest, then struggle through the next day.  It's hard to find bright spots in a day when you feel like life is unbearable.

I was talking with a friend the other day about how quickly life passes us by.  How when we get to the end, are we going to say, "I wish I hadn't focused so much on my poor circumstances."  Or are we going to say, "I lived my life the best I could and found joy in every circumstance."  I'm not talking about surface-y, smile all the time kind of fake happy.  I'm talking about the my-soul-feels-better-right-now-because-of-___________.

My friend said that she tries to find one thing everyday that brings her joy.  So I decided that I would try too.  I think it looks different for everyone so what brings her joy may not give me the same feeling.

The past couple days have been hard and I've been sad.  But each day, I find that there are things that make my heart happy.  Yesterday it was spending time with a friend who just listened as I poured out my heart.  She didn't judge, didn't counsel.  She just listened.  Today, it was getting up early to spend a few miles with my roommate.  It was also knowing that I work with a group of people who deeply care about one another.  And having a friend invite me over to have dinner with her family before joining me at a zumba class.

It seems in the past two days, the joy that I have found is in the people that I am lucky enough to call my friends.  Whether they run with me (I am always looking for running partners so....drop me a line if you want to go!), or share a meal with me, or just listen to my irrational line of thinking (sometimes, not all the time).  These are people that I care deeply about and knowing the feeling is reciprocated is such a blessing and brings me much joy.

Who knows what will bring me joy tomorrow...  I have a feeling it might have something to do with a perfectly made Starbucks drink.  Or perhaps running a few miles after work with a new friend.   Or feeling accomplished after getting a lot done at work.

What kinds of things bring you joy?