Finding Joy in Every Moment
Discovering happiness today
I made a decision as of yesterday. Today was going to be a fantastic day, no matter what. It is a day to find joy in my tasks and happiness in my surroundings. It is not a day of fear or dread. I believe you can decide anything you want from your day. It is yours to choose from. We can wake up with joy, or we can wake up with fear. It is our choice. Today, election-day is the best day to choose joy! I am exploring this new path of abundance on my 100-day journey through the book: The Tao of Abundance: Eight Ancient Principles for Abundant Living by Laurence G. Boldt. I feel a sense of hope in the air.
Life is much easier, much less of a struggle when we meet it with a smile. -Laurence G. Boldt
Today I am taking it easy and adding lots of fun to my day. I asked my son to show me lots of funny meme videos to make me laugh. I am wearing my favorite charm bracelet and drinking coffee from my Gudetama mug. Every day can be beautiful if you decide it will be.
At this moment, I am taken back to a fun adventure we had last summer in June 2019 when we went to Japan for nearly three weeks. Early in our trip, we decided to stay in a traditional Japanese hotel, or Ryokan near Takasaki in the Gunma prefecture. It was such a beautiful place, full of verdant green gardens and a Buddhist temple. Our host was a Buddhist priest, one of many generations to run the temple and the guest house.
After we settled into our beautiful tatami room, we found that we were hungry for lunch. This guesthouse does serve breakfast and dinner, but not lunch. We were given a map to the nearest little town that we could walk to find food and were told there was a nice convenience store there. The three of us got ready to walk to the store, thinking we knew where we were going.
Along the way, we saw lots of rice fields, orchards, vegetable gardens, and country homes. It was a little bit rainy, and we were enjoying the landscape. However, we did not see any stores. The only place we encountered was a car repair shop. Luckily, it did have a strangely fancy vending machine out front, so we were able to get some water for our thirsty son.
We went around the bend and found a gardener working on some hedges. With what little Japanese we knew, we asked him if he knew the way to the store. He was able to point in the general direction and told us in a positive tone: “Keep going!” We also asked a family in a nearby housing complex. We had the hope of lunch in our hearts, so we kept going.
Expect to receive what you require, even when there’s not the slightest sign of it in sight, and act on that expectation. The universe is an abundant place. It’s natural for you to have plenty. -Laurence G. Boldt
Eventually, we did find a large convenience store. At this point, we were so hungry, so we grabbed a lot of food. We got fruit, crackers, bottles of water, and some of the most delicious creamy peanut butter we had ever tasted. It turned out the peanut butter was the same brand that makes a chocolate bar, so no wonder it was so tasty! The best part was on our walk back, the family who had pointed us in the right direction asked if we had found the store, and waved at us!
When we finally got back to our room, we triumphantly laid out our lunch and began to snack away. Lunch never tasted so good in all of our lives. Our journey was fruitful because we did not give up.
My prayer and my intention for you today is to find joy in as much as you can today. Smile at the opportunity that is today. Find happiness at this moment. You have the choice, it is in your hands.
Day #8: How can you find joy today?
I am tagging some amazing fellow writers on this journey. They joined me on my 100-day spiritual journey and it is an honor to have them here on this journey. I ask that you read their beautiful work here on Medium. Thank you for your generosity! Bob Jasper, Charlotte Zobeir Ali, Rasheed Hooda, Jenine Bsharah Baines, Amy Marley, Gurpreet Dhariwal, Aurora Eliam, CMP, Chowa Sekai, Michele Thill, Terry Mansfield, Tony Young, Jr., Dr John Rose, Vishnu*s Virtues, Noma Dek, Neha Sandhir S, Isha Tewari Srivastava, Art Bram, Joe Luca, Tree Langdon, CPA, CGA, Sherry S, Melissa Bee, Annelise Lords, Suntonu Bhadra, Henery X, Lanu Pitan, Selma, KeepingitrealwithAnnick, Taha Abbas, and many more! Thank you Illumination, Paper Poetry, and Medium Family!
Trista Signe Ainsworth is a professional organizer with Joyful Minimalism. She guides clients on a personal growth journey through their homes.
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