Joy!

"When did you become so joyless?"

I shiver every time I recall that line from the movie American Beauty. It's disturbing to think that anyone, especially a mother, can become joyless.

How does one become joyless? Can it happen to me? After all, I skip meals. I postpone doctor visits. I let my hair get too long. Do I do enough to nurture my joy?

Yes, I believe that I do. More on some days than others, of course, and with more or less effort depending on how crowded my To Do list is, but I have to say that mine is a joyous life.

Here are two ideas from Woman's Day magazine (Make Way for Joy, June 2007) for cultivating a JOYOUS life.

1. "Look for something that makes your body and mind feel so wonderful that you start to crave it," says Joan Borysenko, PhD., author of Inner Peace for Busy Women.

When our precious daughter was born I slingshotted myself into motherhood, and I'm embarassed to admit how long it was before I cared at all about my own appearance (my poor husband) or preferences or interests. It took a medical scare for me to realize that unless I made time for myself irresistible, I probably wouldn't have any. So now, instead of breaking promises to myself to workout in the basement (boooooring!), I'm back in tap class getting ready for a summer tour. And my flute and I re-joined the choir at church, so I have to pay more attention to my music and my faith. How do you make yourself irresistible to you?

2. "Let your soul catch up," advises Candace Pert, Ph.D., a biologist and author of Everything You Need to Know to Feel Go(o)d. She says, "If you kick back and do nothing for 20 minutes, your soul can catch up."

Are you kidding me? I never "do nothing" anymore, even at a red light! But I can do less. I can slow down. And when a little hand slips into mine to tug me from the sink I'm scrubbing, I can toss the brillo pad and dash off to lick play dough and dance like a cat. Because happiness has a way of settling in, but real joy must be romped after and wrestled into place.

Over the next two weeks I'll be posting contributions on this topic from some other WAHMs. I hope you'll check back soon to read their thoughts and ideas.

And tell us... how do you create joy in your life?

Sally Bacchetta - Freelance Writer
Freelance Writer
Parenting
Motherhood