Finding Joy

“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hello, Dear Ones,

Recently, I’ve been watching a show on Netflix called Win the Wilderness, where this guy had built this remote cabin in Alaska and is now trying to decide who will inherit it now that he is older. He said something that made me pause and reflect, which was that he would go back and live his life all over again. He’d rewind time and do it again.

11 years ago today, I was diagnosed with cancer. It’s a day I’ll never forget and a time in my life that was very uncertain and scary. Even though I wouldn’t honestly want to volunteer to do that time over, I did learn a lot of valuable lessons during that time in my life. One of the biggest lessons I learned was that living joyfully matters.

This quote from Shakespeare is probably one of my favorite of all time: “The robbed that smiles steals something from the thief.”

Sometimes life deals us absolute shit. Times lately have been hard, I’ve felt a bit robbed of my rights. 11 years ago I felt like I’d been robbed of my invincibility. This makes finding pockets of joy and persevering to cultivate a life that we would be giddy to do over again feel necessary. I know it doesn’t always feel possible, but today I am going to choose to smile and find my joy.

I don’t know about you, but I truly do want to skid right into death thinking “wow, what a ride. I’d love to do that again.“ If I’m completely honest, there haven't been many days like that for me lately, so I’m working to change that. That’s my challenge to myself and my challenge to you, dear one. Here are some questions and ideas on how to get started here. If you find yourself struggling, please reach out and I would love to support you!

Think about a day of your life you’d happily live over and over again. If you can’t think of a day, think about a moment that you’d like to live over again. How can you bring more of that into your every day?

Step 1: Reflect (think about the questions I’ve included above)

Step 2: Come up with a plan and prioritize the time (It doesn’t have to be a huge commitment) *(Helpful Tip: SCHEDULE IT INTO YOUR CALENDAR)

Step 3: Show up, play, find your joy, and freaking savor it!

I’m so grateful to be on this journey with you. I’m here for you, and I see you, friends.

With love and kindness,

Jessica

P.S. Here’s the fun thing I am doing to care for myself right now:

Over the past few weeks, I have been meeting up with a couple of girlfriends and having a “self-care” day. We may do something active together, or we may just float on the pool with sparkling waters (#onthepool!). On the first day we spent on the pool, I felt giddy. It felt truly fabulous to intentionally tune out of the rest of the world for a bit, and be able to tune into the space we created together.

What kind of time can you create to do something for yourself that brings you joy. Something that makes you feel light, giddy, and full of fun! I’d love to hear all about it!

*This past weekend I also took a spontaneous camping trip to the north shore. The pictures included in this message are from that trip!