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“Really, JOY has never left, it’s waiting for you to notice it again — around the next corner or behind the next door.”
If you have lost a loved one who brought you joy, you may feel that ALL the JOY is now gone. That’s how I felt at first and had a hard time finding joy.
One day, I realized I needed to start looking for things that brought happiness, pleasure and even joy into my life. Nothing happened at first, my heart wasn’t in it. But I kept looking, JOY popped up every now and then when I least expected it.
Seeing a rainbow when I drove into Daytona Beach brought me joy as I knew that this was the right place to spread my husband’s ashes. As time went by, I started making an effort to bring joy into my life and I am glad I did. It helped me heal my broken heart, give me a purpose and happiness.
I know you have more than one idea. Pick one and see if you can find your JOY again, or consider the tips below to spark some ideas.
The painted rocks in the photo above are a new hobby of mine. Nothing fancy, just dabbling and creating. I first started painting small stones with (love, faith, hope and joy) that I gave away purposefully or by leaving them in someone’s garden to discover.
Now, I am painting bigger stones for our new rock garden. I choose words, colors and designs that make me happy, smile and joyful.
A couple of weeks ago, my daughter and I went on a sunset cruise on Lake Norman. We saw a beautiful sunset. In Myrtle Beach, we viewed several sunrises. The joy in sunrise and sunset for me is that there is a cycle of life for everything. The sun rises and sets as we sleep through a period of darkness, the sun rises again.
I am a hugger, and I will ask for one if I need it. So, if you are all caught up on your hugs, consider giving a hug to someone in need. Hugs bring JOY by making you feel loved and connected to a larger community as well as combating loneliness.
This is one of my favorite ways to feel JOY. It feeds my “help-a-holic” personality. And bringing JOY to someone else also brings JOY right back at you. AWESOME! It can be done anonymously or person-to-person. I leave my small stones as noted above. I give a copy of my book, “Good Grief,” away on occasion. I share homemade soups with my neighbor who is disabled. There are just so many opportunities for you to choose from to gift kindness to someone and feel joyful.
No, this is not selfish. Remember getting a new dress, blouse, purse, flowers, a plant for your yard; or something practical like a sewing machine, washer, computer that you got excited about. You may have even “jumped for joy” like I just did when I bought a new double-sided refrigerator!
It’s that time again to give yourself a gift that will bring JOY back and a smile on your face. What’s your pleasure?
Cheryl A. Barrett, RN, MSN, NC-BC, is a retired nurse with 30-plus years in a variety of settings: clinical bedside in ICU, staff educator, academic instructor both didactic and clinical, supervisor, home care education, editorial director of a nursing magazine and is a board certified integrative nurse coach.
In 2018 she published Good Grief: Strategies for Building Resilience and Supporting Transformation, inspired by the death of her husband. She won the American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year, 2018 in the category of Palliative Care and Hospice for her book. She is currently creating a companion workbook for those experiencing grief and loss.
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