It is what it is

There is something to be said for consistency.

...

But I clearly have no authority to say it. So, in a (shameful) attempt to catch up with my current hunt for joy, I am going to rely on the Old Faithful of journal fallbacks...

The List! :o)

Joy is the everpresent, overwhelming devotion of a friend. It is the unexpected word of encouragement from a complete stranger. Joy is the adoration of a mother. It is the way you rock a new outfit from hood to toe. It is a five-page letter delivered with a stamp. Joy is the one who knows your worst and loves you most. It is the burst of creative inspiration on a rainy grey day. It is the smooshed smile on the face of an Englih bulldog. Joy is the miracle of a new life. It is the sale on good-smelling hairdye. It is the intimacy between kindred spirits. Joy is requited love. It is the conviction to shake foundations. It is exploration of an unknown place. Joy is His uninhibited grace.

Today's joy

Today’s was an afternoon of grey, fall skies. The kind when I can get away with spending all of my time at home wearing leggings, slipper boots, and a soft robe, loving on a warm glass of spiced red wine.

Today’s was an opportunity to work an extra shift for a friend. The kind of shift where I got the chance to share a small piece of my heart with a woman whose (com)passion have only grown stronger with time.

Today’s was the moment of celebrating God’s faithful provision. The kind of provision that planned for the extra hours last week so that I might take the time off for a spontaneous visit with James this week.

Today’s was a day of perspective. The kind of perspective that reveals God’s consideration for all the desires and longings in my heart.

Happy Monday, and happy hunting.

Seeking joy

For as long as I have been able to form coherent, outside-the-box thoughts (which, according to my Google search is sometime after the age of 10(ish)), I have subscribed to the idea that happiness is a choice. And I didn't just subscribed--I crusaded for it. And, for the most part, that worked in my life.

For awhile.

There is something to be said for choosing to be happy despite your circumstances. Despite your mood. Depsite the crabby customers who think that because you have a nametag and run a register you are suddenly a little less human.

But even that thought process is negative. All of the focus is on the "despite the [insert crappy thought]" instead of on the "be happy." It's the same with the way we often approach love. "I love you, even though you forget to call me back. I love you, even though you're a little self-absorbed. I love you, even though..."

Throwing in all of those "despite the's" and "even though's" muddles the happiness and distorts the love. There is an wonderful scene in Valentine's Day in which Shirley MacLaine's character declares that if you love someone, you love all of their best and all of their worst. Not "even though," but rather all of it.

There is something to be said for choosing to be happy, but happy is not enough. Happy is easy. What I want is joy. But joy isn't something that you can just have. Joy takes work. It requires you to intentionally seek it out. And that is what I am going to do.

Each day I am going to seek out those moments that are so sweet they could only have been sent from the Creator. I am going to find them and I am going to share them here. Every day. Because joy is meant to be shared and spilled over from cup to cup.

So here's to a beautiful fall day, and here's to the next.

Happy Sunday, and happy hunting.

This is what it looks like when you forget to blog for an entire summer.

I present to you: A List, of Sorts.

Left James in Kentucky yesterday and made the 6 hr drive back by myself. Indiana is a looong state and Louisville has never seemed as far away as it does right now…

It’s NASCAR week in my Podunk town and those race fans want their booze and cigarettes. This race is serious bidness, folks…

On that note, I am so grateful to have a job with decent pay and, once schools starts, will get me 40 hrs each week while simultaneously working with my graduate studies schedule. Not to mention, I work with some A-okay folks…

Even though the wedding is over a year away, planning is underway and on a roll. Date: check. Venue: check. Caterer: check. Decorators: check. Sanity: check…

Allergy season is full swing now. Cue the itchy, puffy, sneezy, leaky, and general miserable auro of hay fever. But with allergy season comes…

Fall! It I so close I can almost taste the crunchy sweetness of dry leaves. And yes, I do go out of my way to step on that particularly crunchy leaf…

Happy Friday, folks. Enjoy it, soak in it, and keep smiling.

Happy Wednesday, folks

I love those days when I'm productive yet don't feel exhausted once I'm done. Today is one of those days. Thank you, Wednesday, for being so awesome. Here's to hoping that tomorrow's day outside in the garden is just as fantastic.

today's to-do list: item #1 - don't get caught

"How do you feel about lists," the bow-tie wearing professor asks the class as his devoted--though admittedly inattentive at this moment--student completes a personal list of tasks that require immediate attention that day. The question catches her attention and she looks up, eager to offer proof of her love of lists. She glances right to smile at the friend beside her who had only finished her own to-do list just minutes previously.

The professor speaks again: "I hate lists."

As swiftly and seemingly casual as possible, the two girls flip their lists facedown so as to elimiate the evidence. Not swift enough, however. The two occupants of the table to their left are both staring with knowing-smirks, fully aware of what has gone down just feet away.

Proceeding with a smile, the professor then reveals to the class that he is actually referring to his disdain of the idea we can achieve spiritual transcendence by following a list of steps. No longer sheepish, the once-inattentive student smiles wider as she imagines the professor's perspective on Joel Osteen and his "seven steps living at your full potential." She stifles a laugh, pretending to clear her throat as she maintains an academic front.

The professor is oblivious to the series of events that just unfolded before his unseeing-eyes and resumes his lecture. All is well with the world.