Sometimes you have to let go of the picture of what you thought life would be like and learn to find joy in the story you are living. Sounds easy enough right? For me, this is one of the hardest things to do. I am the type of person that once I get my mind set on something I do everything I can to make that happen and if it doesn’t happen the way I have imagined it should or not at all, I get frustrated and find myself having a bad attitude and being irritated about the way things are going. For me, it is definitely a faith issue. You would think that as blessed as I am, I would be at peace and know that God provides for me and knows my needs way better than I do. But I fail at this. I have anxiety and depression that takes over and I begin to question things that I have no control over. What good does this do? It is exhausting and I am having to learn and understand that things happen for a reason and most of the time when I look back throughout my life, I am thankful that situations played out the way they did and not always the way that I thought they should be.

For me it is a faith thing. For others it may not be. No matter where you stand with faith, I feel that in this crazy life of ups and downs, joys and disappointments and relationships and love, if you are not able to find the joy in your story, it is time for change. It is time to dig deep into who you are. Can you change your story to find joy? Can you put on a new set of glasses to see things differently? Can you stop being a spoiled brat and appreciate what you do have? I feel like I can say that because I often tell myself and my family that not to act like a brat. LOL. I don’t mean it in a hurtful way, but those words “spoiled brat” does get my attention. If your in a store and there is a child throwing a big temper tantrum because he wants a toy that he has been told he can’t have, should he be able to have that toy just because he threw a fit? Part of finding joy in the life you are living and your story is to sometimes weather the storm and ride the wave of appreciation. You may not get promoted in your job like you expected but you still have a job and it’s secure. You may not have your dream car or house but your car gets you to your “secure” job every day and where ever else you need to go and your house may not be the best house on the block but it’s warm and safe and you have a place to lay your head every night and call it home. This is how you find the joy in your story. It’s the silver lining.

I feel that God carries me even when I am kicking and screaming to do things my way. And yet he never drops me on my butt. I am learning to happily walk through my life as if it could be my last day on earth. Some days are better than others. Each night before I go to sleep I think about all the joys in my life. I won’t lie, my tendency is to lay there wide awake worrying about all the things wrong in my life and this world as things have gotten a bit scary with this Covid Pandemic happening. But I am choosing big and little things to be thankful for and to see as joy. My joys for today are family, friends, my dogs, my house were moving into, my favorite ice cream flavor, the smell of coffee (because I can’t drink it) and for the smell of rain. It is all perspective.

I understand that people have different situations and life is harder for some more than others. If you truly feel like you can’t find any joy and are severely depressed, I don’t want to make you feel worse because you aren’t feeling the joy in your life. I have been there. If you need to reach out to get help please do so. Don’t be your own prisoner. Depression and anxiety is real and I want you free of what ever pain you are feeling. reach out to someone you can trust if you have thoughts of hurting yourself or if you feel like life is too much. You are worthy and deserve to be happy.

Times are so hard for so many people right now with our economy being struck from the pandemic and from the hopelessness that society may be feeling and the fear that is instilled in us from false media. Do your own research, Don’t believe everything you see on t.v. or read on the internet. Also, remember hoarding is rude. We need to get through this time together. Take supplies that you need and leave some for the next person. If we all take a reasonable amount of supplies and food, we all will have what we need. I hope you all choose love and kindness and help others when you are able. Even if it’s with kind words of encouragement or opening a door for someone. Life is short and you can make a difference even when you do not realize it. It can take a moment to change someone or a scenario for a lifetime. I hope you all feel encouraged by this post. Please feel free to share you story or joys of your journey of life. I love to hear from you all. I am pretty boring so let’s hear from you all. Everyone, please stay happy, healthy and safe. May your cup overflow and be blessed!