Writing this blog post, I am sitting on the waterfront of Alexandria, VA, watching the life of Washington, DC right across the water and I thought about all the life happening all around us that we constantly watch pass us by.
And then I felt sadness for all of those who couldn’t see the beauty of today, because they had passed on.
There has been a lot of death in my life lately, and there are a lot of family members who aren’t able to see this moment that I am seeing. And I said to myself, “I hope that those who have passed had a lot of moments full of joy, despite any pain or mental struggle they had, I hope they were able to experience joy.”
And then I really started to reflect on joy and the joy in our lives. I think underneath our pain, that pain that often feels unbearable, that there is always some joy, whether we recognize it or not. There is always something to be grateful for that others do not have.
I think joy and gratefulness can have such a positive impact on our lives. I am not saying that the small joys in our lives fix all of our problems, but to me, they give me some hope for a better tomorrow. My small joy right now is that I get to watch all of these people, complete strangers, who are enjoying each other’s company, on one of the last warm weekends of the year and that brings me joy. It brings me joy to realize there is a whole world out there waiting for me to find it. It brings me joy that I have opportunities to travel for work even when I miss being home. It brings me joy that I can feel peace while staring out into the beautiful river and night sky.
But despite this joy, I know that in life we are going to feel pain. No matter how much we want our lives to be perfect, we will experience pain in our lives. But even when it isn’t easy, finding those moments that bring you peace and joy are so critical. Find those moments where despite your struggle, you can find a small moment that you can remind yourself that things are going to be okay.
Hold onto those small moments. Because life is about joy. And things ARE going to be okay. We often think we are stuck where we are, without hope, but I am reminded on nights like this that we are not stuck, we can step away from the darkness and walk forward on our journeys, knowing those moments of joy are coming, because we are deserving of them. Even when those moments feel small, hold onto them, and use them to keep you moving forward.
I notice myself moving so quickly especially with a new job, a new career, and planning a wedding. But nights like this remind me to pause. And I didn’t feel like I was falling apart or spinning in circles, instead, my inner voice said “I feel happy”. And what a blessing it was to fully feel the joy of the moment, despite all the millions of things going on around me.
I don’t know what tomorrow may bring, but if you can find your moment of joy, I hope it gives you strength to continue on your journey in confidence that more joyous moments are coming.
Xo,