a joyful life

 Wow. I can't believe it has been so long since my last post. Life has been an incredible journey over the last two years. Yes, it has been TWO YEARS since I have posted!

Life is a funny thing.

 In the last two months I have come full circle to things I had left behind during the last two years. I have come back to rediscover things that bring me joy, happiness, creative energy and peace. I have taken a big leap of faith that has brought about a kind of child-like joy that can only be felt and seen, but not described in a way to do it justice.

 I AM BACK!

 I feel more alive than I have felt in several years. My heart is full, I am creating some beautiful wrinkles on my face because I am smiling and laughing more than I have in a very long time. It's interesting how we can lose ourselves in our lives. How our jobs become our world and how we sacrifice ourselves (our health, relationships, sense of self, etc...) for a paycheck to buy things that we don't even have time to enjoy. A joyful life is what I have always been working on. I don't search for it, I have to create it. Sometimes the creating of a joyful life makes many of those who love me a little bit nervous, but I am scrappy. I can figure it out and make ends meet. You see...when I am truly seeking a joyful life, through hard work, kindness and being true to myself; I create a life that is authentic, fulfilling and meaningful. A life worth living.

It is funny how life decides things for you when you can't decide them for yourself. It is the small voice I have disregarded for a long time that lead to the unimaginable roar that I could no longer ignore. (it can also come in the form of a very knowledgeable and caring doctor showing you that your life is literally killing you quickly and if you (I) don't get off this road you're (I'm) on, life is going to end much sooner than you (I) want it to).
 
What is amazing is that when I finally embraced what that little voice (and my doctor) was telling me,  I had a feeling of relief, wonder and excitement wash over me; all the way down to my bones.  There is no more hesitation, second guessing or fear. There are fewer self-deprecating thoughts, feelings of anxiety or concerns about the future. It's pretty damn awesome!

I am also aware that some of these feelings will come back at some point, but I am basking in the joy that I feel today. The joy that comes from making hard decisions that lead to a better life. The joy that comes from realizing that our days with those we love are numbered, and that we have more control over how we spend those days than most of us give ourselves credit for. The joy of realizing that I am the only one with the power to make the decisions that I must make to live the best life I can. 

So, going with the theme of this blog, a new phase has started! This isn't a small phase, such as taking on a new hobby. This is the start of a life-changing phase. So, how big is this new phase? Well...

•  I quit my job without having another one lined up (I'm scrappy and can figure it out!)
• I have taken a month off and not looked for a job (I started my job search after my one month of unwinding, regrouping, and relaxing! )
• I have been swimming laps 4-5 days a week (I have finally found an exercise I LOVE to do!)
• I have FINALLY been following the expert advice of Marlene Merritt and have been eating healthy foods, given up all fast-foods, sodas and sugar....and that make me feel AWESOME! (she has been waiting for this day to come for over 5 years!)
• I have made time for friends, family, reading, sleeping and anything else that brings me joy 

It's a new phase. A big, awesome, exciting, delicious new phase. 

 love,
-e 
 

A girl without a 5 year plan

I saw the video below on one of my favorite blogs [the blog is at best, Pg-13...if you are offended by profanity, I'd tread carefully]

Jenny [The Bloggess] wrote about the fact that she is someone who doesn't have a 5 year plan. I love her even more for posting about it!

 Last weekend when I was deciding if I needed to purchase another journal, I ran across a journal to help someone develop a 5 year plan.

[It was serendipitous that The Bloggess wrote about this topic]

I started thinking about the fact that I don't have a 5 year plan. I really don't even have a 1 year plan. OK. I don't have any plans. I have dreams, aspirations, wants, desires, and goals...but not much of a plan.

I am realizing each day that I don't need some big elaborate plan...because what seems to happen to the elaborate plans that most people make is that life gets in the way of their plan; or they are working SO hard to stick to their plan that life passes them by...and they miss out on so many lovely opportunities to live their life.

Sure...it's good to know how you are going to meet your basic needs..but I keep thinking about how we have gotten so far away from our basic needs that we really don't even know what our basic needs are. That is something I am working on doing. Getting back to the basics. Figuring out what things bring me joy, and finding a way to make the joyful a part of my everyday.  I've been there before. It was when I let things be simple. When I made sure I was doing work that brought me joy, used my strengths and made me excited to get out of bed each morning. I'm not there right now. I like what I do...but I don't love it...and the gap between like and love is a pretty big one. Big enough for joy to fall into the abyss and get lost.

So what is my plan? The only plan I have now is to figure out what's next. Not 5 years from now "next"...but tomorrow or next week...or possibly next month. Sure...I may know what I think I want to do a few months from now....but I don't set the plan in stone because then I am not open to what other possibilities might be out there for me.

If you are a 5 year planner, that's fantastic. It just doesn't work for me. Anyone who has been through as many phases as I have, can't really be a planner. It just isn't in my DNA. (OK..that's a lie. My Dad is a super-planner. He wishes I had received that DNA strand..but I didn't. Sorry Dad....but he can't say that I haven't made life stressful interesting for him with my lack of a plan. LOVE YOU DAD!)

So...I will remain a girl without a 5 year plan. And that's OK.

 I think this video says it perfectly:

love,
e~