This is the Life

Last night, after dinner, my hubby and I took the kids out for a walk/bike ride. It was a gorgeous evening …still sunny, a cool breeze to take the heat off after a scorcher of a day, and smiles on everyone faces.

There was a moment where I was standing in our driveway watching my oldest daughter ride around our cul de sac, carefree and fearless when I caught my darling hubby and youngest coming down the street to my right. He was watching her as a dutiful Dad should; with an eye out for any danger and beaming with pride. In that split second everything was perfect.

I don’t use perfect as a blanket statement because no one and nothing is actually perfect. But, if time could have stood still and took a photograph that felt the love and pure joy in that moment, that is how I would define perfection.

Five months from tomorrow I turn 40, which seems surreal. I am still a tad vain in moments of panic, thinking “oh my goodness, how did I get this ‘old’!” But more often I am reframing my thoughts and saying ” damn I am so grateful to be this age, living a blessed life and working hard to cultivate happiness and gratitude for myself and my family”!

So many people in this world don’t get to this age; Gone too soon for reasons that we may never truly understand. I can’t be the only one out here wanting to harness the joy in these moments and wishing I could bottle that purity to give away to those who need it most, knowing I will see moments like this again where I can refuel my tank of happiness.

In a world that is reeling from so much tragedy and uncertainty, fear and hate, we each need to find ways to see the happiness surrounding us and be deliberate in paying that forward. From a simple smile for a stranger to actively participating in our communities to fight for change, I believe that the ultimate goal is joy. Letting people be joyous; surrounded by moments of joy; and celebrating their joy in their own individual way.

My challenge to you today is to record a moment of joy in your day. Embrace that feeling, I mean REALLY take it in. Remember how that feels. Then, pay it forward. Pay for someone’s coffee, buy a meal for someone on the street. Donate to a cause dear to someone you know, Give a hug to someone who needs it. Stand up for someone who needs your voice. Whatever it may be, do it without want or need for repayment in that moment and I am sure the joy will start to spread around you. This is the life you are living so make it joy full.

~M~