Drum roll please. PA RUM PUM PUM PUM. [A little Christmas humor never hurt anyone.]
8|| PRAYER.
Maybe it sounds cliche, but prayer is extremely joyful!
We are taught from birth (at least in the South) to pray... about anything & everything. I know everyone says prayer works, but I know for a fact that it does! I have prayed many times for God to place his hands on me and give me peace or understanding... or just to feel His presence. Almost every time I have prayed for one of those things, I have immediately felt a change. Like my burden was lifted slightly or the pressure was released just a tad. That doesn't mean that the situation was changed at all, but my feelings...whether briefly or forever... were changed. Sometimes we pray for things and we don't ever feel like we get an answer. We do. It just may not be the answer we were looking for. I am very thankful for even the answers that I didn't want. They have brought me understanding, strength, patience and even joy!
9|| DECORATING & DESIGNING.
Including, but not limited to, holiday decorations. I started my college career as an interior design student. While I decided that wasn't the career path for me, I still have a serious closeted [or not so closeted] love of all things decorating and design. & especially around the holidays, that joy grows.
10|| LEARNING.
I am a nerd. I like to learn. There is joy in learning. I am one of those odd people that has a billion interests. In fact, I probably have a new one every day. Learning different things is fun to me. Random facts are like crack.
11|| BRINGING JOY TO OTHERS.
Giving gifts. Teaching. Talking. Whatever it is that brings joy to a person, brings joy to me too. It is such a wonderful thing to experience someone else's joy. Most wonderfully, it is extraordinary to experience the joy of another person when they don't get to be joyful very often. The holiday season is a time where we, as people who are blessed, can bring joy to others. By donating time or money or toys or anything... we can help those who aren't blessed nearly as much as we are. Take the time to talk to that lonely looking, older person eating breakfast alone on a Saturday morning. It's very possible that they have no family or friends to be around and all they need is a good conversation. Teach someone something that you love and they might love too. Make your neighbors a small treat just because. You never know when your very minuscule effort might bring a lifetime of joy to a person.
12|| COOKING.
I love love love to cook. More than that, I love to cook for other people. I may not be a 5 star chef, but I like to think I am at least a decent cook. As a child, I grew up with parents in the restaurant business. I remember my dad coming home from a long day, smelling of fried fish and chicken. That may not sound all that amazing, but I like to think that my love of cooking was spawned from those smells. We all have to eat, but we want it to taste good.. of course. I am now in school for a degree in Biology, and I spend a lot of time in science labs. However, I like to think of the kitchen as my personal lab. That is one of the places that I am most comfortable and I love to experiment. I am pretty much incapable of following a recipe to a T. It usually goes something like this... "this calls for such and such... I think this will taste better." I guess that's how the professionals work too. But if you ever need a good meal, let me know & I will be glad to cook you up something. :)
13|| CRAFTING.
What is that quote? "Glitter is the herpes of craft supplies." Yeah. It's true. Ask my family. Our coffee table is now embedded with glitter. It won't come out. I get this joy naturally from my mother. She is the crafting queen. Even as a child, I would go into her craft supply area and just ogle the paints and brushes and the plethora of other objects that tumbled down onto the floor. The thing I love most about crafting is that you don't have to be a brilliant artist to do most crafts. Crafts are fun and a serious stress reliever... and you can keep whatever it is to be proud of.. or give it to someone else as a little handmade "happy." Joy all around!
14|| LOVE.
I was able to attend a wedding today of a couple that I have not known for very long. In fact, I had only met them once before their big day and was taken along as a guest to enjoy their festivities. Their wedding was small and in a quaint part of Alabama, but was very beautiful. The most beautiful thing about it was the two of them. Their love for each other just radiated from them. It was almost palpable. I watched the bride look at the groom, and was in awe of the sparkle in her gaze. You could see every ounce of her heart in her eyes when she looked at him, and the same goes for him. It is amazing to me what human emotion can bring. Love, to me, is the most important of any feeling or emotion that exists in this world. It can make someone soar or tear them down to nothing. In this case, these two sweet people were soaring high on their love for each other. Seeing love in others brings me joy and ultimately inspires me to do better with my life. I wish those two lovebirds a life full of happiness... & I hope that they will never lose that sparkle when they look at each other.
15|| CHRISTMAS MOVIES
The "Mecca" of all movies... the Christmas movie. They are festive and joyful and generally have a good message. Oh yeah & they often involve great music & dancing. What more could you ask for in a movie? Nothing, hello! Anything else need to be said? Christmas movies are just fantabulous any way you look at it!
16|| READING.
Does this make me extra nerdy? Probably so, but it doesn't matter. I used to HATE reading with a passion. The summer after I graduated from high school I decided that I was just going to try reading for fun. Something I had never done before. It was always textbooks and "Moby Dick" and other literary works that could bring tears of frustration to any person in their right mind. But that summer, I started a love affair with books that will never cease. They may not be the most scholarly books, but it doesn't matter. I have gained a lot of knowledge and a much wider vocabulary from even the trashiest of romance novels. Reading is the bomb.com.
17|| HUNTSVILLE.
I'm sure many people would disagree with me, but Huntsville brings me joy. I was born and raised here, and I used to have a strong disdain for this city. As a kid, there isn't a whole lot in the way of entertainment. However, Huntsville is growing and getting more options. As an adult, I love it. After living in a much smaller area for a year, I have grown to appreciate Huntsville greatly. It has a great mixture of people from all over the country.. and world, really. There is a thriving artistic culture, a delicious selection of places to fill your belly, and an increasingly varied shopping collection. With all of its bad comes all of its good, and Huntsville is a wonderful place to be.
18|| RELAXING.
The opportunity does not present itself very often, but when it does, I take advantage. Some coffee [or a margarita], my bed, and a good book or movie... & I'm set. One of my high school teachers used to call them "mental health days." I laughed then, but I completely understand now. A day of relaxation is a "mental health day." They exist to recharge and re-inspire. We could all stand to have one every once in a while.
19|| TALKING & LISTENING TO PEOPLE.
This is a big change for me, seeing as I used to be almost painfully shy. I was placed in a working environment where I was forced to interact with people, and therefore, I became much more of a people person. This made me realize the true importance of talking to people. We live in a very selfish world. We, as a culture, are all about ourselves... me. me. me. Well, part of talking with others... the most important part actually... is listening. With this selfishness in our world, comes people with big, thick, unhappy walls built up. Go to any fast food place or retail store (especially right now) and try to get the people that work there to be cordial to you. It's almost impossible. They are constantly faced with unhappy, rude people... causing them to be in a perpetual state of "I don't care anymore" to anyone they encounter. I always try to make it my mission to be nice to those people. This, I learned from my parents. They showed me that sometimes a little kindness in talking with someone can make a big difference. Plus, I am nosy and pretty much want to know everything about people. It's interesting to me. I encourage you to try talking to someone that you normally don't. Have a conversation with them, no matter how short, and see how their demeanor changes. They may open up to you in a way that you wouldn't have expected. See them laugh or smile and change their day... or maybe even their holiday season. You'll bring them joy and a little to yourself in the process.
20|| DELIRIOUS DAYS
You may ask what that is, but you already know. You know those days when you are so exhausted that absolutely everything is funny? That's what I'm talking about! That silliness coupled with those nonstop, belly laughs are the epitome of joyful. Those are the moments with family and friends and maybe even by yourself that you'll always remember. I think God gives us those moments to remind us what it's like to be a kid. To be carefree and happy. No worries. We need to have those brief reminders to tell us to not take life so seriously. We are here, in our short lifetimes, to enjoy ourselves and have fun. Have a delirious day today! ;)
9|| DECORATING & DESIGNING.
Including, but not limited to, holiday decorations. I started my college career as an interior design student. While I decided that wasn't the career path for me, I still have a serious closeted [or not so closeted] love of all things decorating and design. & especially around the holidays, that joy grows.
10|| LEARNING.
I am a nerd. I like to learn. There is joy in learning. I am one of those odd people that has a billion interests. In fact, I probably have a new one every day. Learning different things is fun to me. Random facts are like crack.
11|| BRINGING JOY TO OTHERS.
Giving gifts. Teaching. Talking. Whatever it is that brings joy to a person, brings joy to me too. It is such a wonderful thing to experience someone else's joy. Most wonderfully, it is extraordinary to experience the joy of another person when they don't get to be joyful very often. The holiday season is a time where we, as people who are blessed, can bring joy to others. By donating time or money or toys or anything... we can help those who aren't blessed nearly as much as we are. Take the time to talk to that lonely looking, older person eating breakfast alone on a Saturday morning. It's very possible that they have no family or friends to be around and all they need is a good conversation. Teach someone something that you love and they might love too. Make your neighbors a small treat just because. You never know when your very minuscule effort might bring a lifetime of joy to a person.
12|| COOKING.
I love love love to cook. More than that, I love to cook for other people. I may not be a 5 star chef, but I like to think I am at least a decent cook. As a child, I grew up with parents in the restaurant business. I remember my dad coming home from a long day, smelling of fried fish and chicken. That may not sound all that amazing, but I like to think that my love of cooking was spawned from those smells. We all have to eat, but we want it to taste good.. of course. I am now in school for a degree in Biology, and I spend a lot of time in science labs. However, I like to think of the kitchen as my personal lab. That is one of the places that I am most comfortable and I love to experiment. I am pretty much incapable of following a recipe to a T. It usually goes something like this... "this calls for such and such... I think this will taste better." I guess that's how the professionals work too. But if you ever need a good meal, let me know & I will be glad to cook you up something. :)
13|| CRAFTING.
What is that quote? "Glitter is the herpes of craft supplies." Yeah. It's true. Ask my family. Our coffee table is now embedded with glitter. It won't come out. I get this joy naturally from my mother. She is the crafting queen. Even as a child, I would go into her craft supply area and just ogle the paints and brushes and the plethora of other objects that tumbled down onto the floor. The thing I love most about crafting is that you don't have to be a brilliant artist to do most crafts. Crafts are fun and a serious stress reliever... and you can keep whatever it is to be proud of.. or give it to someone else as a little handmade "happy." Joy all around!
14|| LOVE.
I was able to attend a wedding today of a couple that I have not known for very long. In fact, I had only met them once before their big day and was taken along as a guest to enjoy their festivities. Their wedding was small and in a quaint part of Alabama, but was very beautiful. The most beautiful thing about it was the two of them. Their love for each other just radiated from them. It was almost palpable. I watched the bride look at the groom, and was in awe of the sparkle in her gaze. You could see every ounce of her heart in her eyes when she looked at him, and the same goes for him. It is amazing to me what human emotion can bring. Love, to me, is the most important of any feeling or emotion that exists in this world. It can make someone soar or tear them down to nothing. In this case, these two sweet people were soaring high on their love for each other. Seeing love in others brings me joy and ultimately inspires me to do better with my life. I wish those two lovebirds a life full of happiness... & I hope that they will never lose that sparkle when they look at each other.
15|| CHRISTMAS MOVIES
The "Mecca" of all movies... the Christmas movie. They are festive and joyful and generally have a good message. Oh yeah & they often involve great music & dancing. What more could you ask for in a movie? Nothing, hello! Anything else need to be said? Christmas movies are just fantabulous any way you look at it!
16|| READING.
Does this make me extra nerdy? Probably so, but it doesn't matter. I used to HATE reading with a passion. The summer after I graduated from high school I decided that I was just going to try reading for fun. Something I had never done before. It was always textbooks and "Moby Dick" and other literary works that could bring tears of frustration to any person in their right mind. But that summer, I started a love affair with books that will never cease. They may not be the most scholarly books, but it doesn't matter. I have gained a lot of knowledge and a much wider vocabulary from even the trashiest of romance novels. Reading is the bomb.com.
17|| HUNTSVILLE.
I'm sure many people would disagree with me, but Huntsville brings me joy. I was born and raised here, and I used to have a strong disdain for this city. As a kid, there isn't a whole lot in the way of entertainment. However, Huntsville is growing and getting more options. As an adult, I love it. After living in a much smaller area for a year, I have grown to appreciate Huntsville greatly. It has a great mixture of people from all over the country.. and world, really. There is a thriving artistic culture, a delicious selection of places to fill your belly, and an increasingly varied shopping collection. With all of its bad comes all of its good, and Huntsville is a wonderful place to be.
18|| RELAXING.
The opportunity does not present itself very often, but when it does, I take advantage. Some coffee [or a margarita], my bed, and a good book or movie... & I'm set. One of my high school teachers used to call them "mental health days." I laughed then, but I completely understand now. A day of relaxation is a "mental health day." They exist to recharge and re-inspire. We could all stand to have one every once in a while.
19|| TALKING & LISTENING TO PEOPLE.
This is a big change for me, seeing as I used to be almost painfully shy. I was placed in a working environment where I was forced to interact with people, and therefore, I became much more of a people person. This made me realize the true importance of talking to people. We live in a very selfish world. We, as a culture, are all about ourselves... me. me. me. Well, part of talking with others... the most important part actually... is listening. With this selfishness in our world, comes people with big, thick, unhappy walls built up. Go to any fast food place or retail store (especially right now) and try to get the people that work there to be cordial to you. It's almost impossible. They are constantly faced with unhappy, rude people... causing them to be in a perpetual state of "I don't care anymore" to anyone they encounter. I always try to make it my mission to be nice to those people. This, I learned from my parents. They showed me that sometimes a little kindness in talking with someone can make a big difference. Plus, I am nosy and pretty much want to know everything about people. It's interesting to me. I encourage you to try talking to someone that you normally don't. Have a conversation with them, no matter how short, and see how their demeanor changes. They may open up to you in a way that you wouldn't have expected. See them laugh or smile and change their day... or maybe even their holiday season. You'll bring them joy and a little to yourself in the process.
20|| DELIRIOUS DAYS
You may ask what that is, but you already know. You know those days when you are so exhausted that absolutely everything is funny? That's what I'm talking about! That silliness coupled with those nonstop, belly laughs are the epitome of joyful. Those are the moments with family and friends and maybe even by yourself that you'll always remember. I think God gives us those moments to remind us what it's like to be a kid. To be carefree and happy. No worries. We need to have those brief reminders to tell us to not take life so seriously. We are here, in our short lifetimes, to enjoy ourselves and have fun. Have a delirious day today! ;)
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