I think we have heard that word a lot. Changing, adapting, becoming more flexible. Well June did a lot of that for us. We took a step back and decided on where to make those changes in our family instead of always allowing the change to come to us. Looking closely on what and how these times have brought us joy.
I think it is so easy to focus on the negative and get swept in the wave of all the chaos that is going on. However, when we can allow our brain to stop and focus in on what is bringing us joy in this very moment, we release that negativity. It is then that we can breathe and feel the hope that is still inside, and it is also these moments that help us get through the tough times.
Have you made a joy list lately? I encourage you to write down 100 things down on everything that is currently bringing you joy. I say 100 because it will be really easy to write down 10, 20, or maybe even 50 things for you. But when we push and stretch our brains, it is then that we dive deep into what is really there.
For us, our family time has brought the most joy. So much so that we have decided to homeschool our kids. Yes, homeschool!! If you had asked me 8 months ago if I would consider homeschool, I would have given you a very clear no. But if it hadn’t been this pandemic, then I wouldn’t have experienced the virtual schooling. I would have never seen the flexibility of what a homeschool schedule could look like. I immediately began diving into research and will write another blog more on this topic.
Nick and I have also had a lot more time to update our dream board. We love talking about what our goals are and the things we want for our family. We talk about things like having more land, gardening, and possibly even raising animals such as chickens and pigs. Again, if you had asked me what my dreams of where I would want live 8 months ago, I would have never told you that it included chickens and pigs.
I have also found that I love to connect with people in a more personal way and the more I am disliking social media. So much so that I am considering to make so big changes. I haven’t decided officially on what those changes will look like or how I will go about them, but if it wasn’t for this pandemic I would most likely be drowning myself in facebook as I normally do and continue to push those feelings away.
So, I ask you now. What has this time brought to you? What joy are you experiencing right now that you can dive deeper into? What are your dreams and how do you see your life going? I know it is easy to focus in on the hardships and negativity, and yes, we still need to be very compassionate and humble towards this time, but I also think this time has allowed us to stop and see how we can make the changes we need to improve our life.