- Get some sun!
- Take a brisk walk.
- Go for the gabfest.
- Be kind to someone else.
- Make music.
- Preferably with children. Especially your own.
- Clean out a cabinet.
- Donate clothes you don’t need.
- Take dog food to an animal shelter.
- Read a book.
- Meditate on your favorite Bible verse.
- Take dog food to an animal shelter.
- Sing a song to God.
- Make a list of blessings. All of them. Hang it up.
- Offer to clean house, make meals, or babysit for a new mom.
- Bring puzzles to a nursing home. Stay long enough to put one together.
- Eat chocolate alone.
- Eat kale with a friend.
- Take slow, deep breaths and let go of all the tension.
- Exercise! Even for 5 minutes.
- Create a sacred space in your house – a cozy spot for prayer, Bible reading, or whatever.
- Craft.
- Sail paper airplanes with kids in the neighborhood.
- Take flowers to a lonely widow.
- Diffuse frankincense essential oil.
- Sit by the fire and listen to it crackle, breathe in the scent of smoke, and relax.
- Plant flowers.
- Set up a bird feeder.
- Talk to chickens. Or guinea pigs. Or puppy dogs.
- Take a nap!
- Drive with the windows down.
- Have relay races with your kids.
- Handwrite a letter to a friend or family member.
- Tell knock knock jokes to elementary students.
- Create a dance party for your family.
- Paint your nails a crazy color.
- Tell God all the things you love about Him.
- Tell your spouse all the things you love about them.
- Tell your children you’re proud of them.
- Learn a yoga pose.
- Try something new – art, music, archery – no matter how old you are.
- Write a love letter to your significant other.
- Write a love letter to God.
- Write a love letter to yourself, detailing all the great parts that make up you.
- Spend some time reading your Bible, and ask God to speak to you.
- Drink a great cup of coffee.
- Read some awesome blogs (see the blogroll for ideas).
- Send a digital gift card to a friend for no reason.
- Buy your groceries at a farmer’s market.
- Plan a vegetable garden, or at least a vegetable plant.
- Write a song, even if you’re not a musician.
- Turn your phone off and enjoy the peace and quiet.
- Research a Bible character or story. Ask God to help you apply it to your life.
- Take funny selfies and text them to unsuspecting friends.
- Throw your kids a tea party with tea sandwiches and tiny cups of juice.
- Watch ridiculous facebook or youtube videos.
- Try a new recipe.
- Start a blog and write about your favorite things.
- Hold a mock photo shoot with your children or pets. Order the prints from Snapfish.
- Ride a bike.
- Forgive someone who has hurt you.
- Forgive yourself.
- Pray for people you don’t like. Pray for people who do.
- Ask Siri to show you how to beat box.
- Sit in silence and listen to God.
- Sponsor a child from World Vision.
- Mow your neighbor’s lawn.
- Make a list of things that make you happy. Pick one and do it.
- Set a timer and then clean something.
- Buy a box of Joe for the teacher’s at your kids’ school.
- Make fried bananas.
- Ask God to give you joy.
- Scroll up and sign up for the newsletter on this blog.
- Plan your dream vacation, even if it’s 5 or 10 years down the road.
- Start saving for it. Every penny counts.
- Buy pizza for a foster family.
- Adopt a dog. Or a gold fish.
- Go to a foster care informational meeting and find out how you can help children in care.
- Make a list of things that bring you joy. Do at least one a day.
- Set up your living room like a movie theater. Eat popcorn and watch a favorite movies.
- Find a Bible reading plan at biblegateway.com. Then use it.
- Look for God’s hand in nature.
- Look for God’s hand in your life.
- Do someone else’s chores without them knowing.
- Make your kids beds while they are at school.
- Sneak little notes into your loved ones’ lunch boxes.
- Sell something and use the money to help someone else.
- Eat a nutritious breakfast – even if it’s dinner time.
- Make fresh salsa.
- Eat off of the good china.
- Daydream.
- Plan your garden.
- Doodle.
- Facetime someone.
- Listen to the bird’s sing.
- Ask your family questions about their likes and dislikes.
- Start a new hobby.
- Go outside and gaze at the stars after dark.
- Plant a tree.
- Share this blog post!
Baby steps towards joy.
I might have a bone to pick with Thanksgiving.
I mean, I love a sleep-inducing, kitchen-trashing, dirty-every-pot-in-the-house, gain-five-pounds-in-one-day, deliciously decadent traditional Thanksgiving dinner just as much as the next person. Even when it means scrubbing mashed potatos off the radiator (courtesy of the 1 year old), sweet potatos off the fish tank (courtesy of the 3 year old with a really good arm), and fishing pie crumbs out from under the stove (that wouldn’t be my fault would it?). It’s like the ultimate in comfort food feasting shared with family and friends. And I’m not even sure I mind the added expenditures – a turkey dinner with all the trimmings adds up fast, especially for a family of 8 plus relatives. (My grocery budget is bleeding out, but that’s ok, the leftovers will sustain us for quite some time).
Thanksgiving is a great day to celebrate being together and being thankful for all that God has given us. Except that I think spending 1 day being thankful for 1 giant feast kind of defeats the purpose. Spending 1 day proclaiming our gratitude for our families, friends, jobs, food, warm homes, sports teams, toys, tech, and pets is just the tip of the iceberg. Hmm, maybe more like the size of an icecube. It just doesn’t cut the cranberry sauce, er, mustard.
Joy is born out of gratitude. Not just a one time, once a year spirit of thankfulness. Not just a once a day blessing on the dinner meal. But a life lived in constant gratittude to the Giver of all good gifts. I can’t help but wonder if, when I’m unhappy, its because I’m not being grateful? Today, I caught myself getting cranky because – just when I wanted to show the tiny humans a video on letters and the sounds they make – the computer decided to install 36 updates. 36! Tiny humans can’t wait that long. And apparently, grown up humans aren’t so good for 36 updates, either. But then I realized what a ‘first world’ problem that is. I’m feeling a little bit entitled here – to a clean, warm home, with lots of food, cars that go, tech constantly at my finger tips, while some people are struggling to find a meal or to live in a home with heat and electricity. I am so routinely blessed by what we consider to be basic necessities that I fail to appreciate them.
Last night, I lay in bed, listening to the quiet crackle of the fire slowly dying in the wood stove and the gentle hum of the baby monitor reminding me that my children were cozied up peacefully in their quilts. A kitty purring happily at my feet. A house-full of filled up tummies, snuggled up and warm, resting sweetly. The struggles of the day fading into the shadows of the night, as I try to pass them on to our God who never slumbers or sleeps.
This, I thought, is the real thanksgiving. It is beginning of contentment, the genesis of gratitude. Baby steps towards joy.