So, Tuesday was Staff Development Day at the City Library. We close all the libraries in the system, everyone gathers at Main in downtown Salt Lake, and we have fun! There's speeches, workshops, lunch, snacks, massages (ahhhh...) and just a great chance to see everyone in the system that you usually don't get a chance to see. Most years I have a pretty good time, and this year they did a great job.
One of the workshops I went to was about mindfulness and mediation. We had a presenter from a local center with degrees in stuff (very technical there, I know) and she was great at leading the group in various exercises (short meditations for the most part) and educating us on being more mindful of ourselves, our emotions and feelings, and our surroundings. I really enjoyed the class, the chance to slow down, calm down, and connect with myself, find my inner peace. I know it sounds kind of cheesy, but I really enjoyed it and hope to incorporate meditation into my days.
One exercise that really made me think was one where we asked another person "What brings you joy?", listened to them, and then thanked them for sharing, then repeated the question. There wasn't any more conversation than that, and after a minute we switched roles, the other person asking instead. I was surprised that I ran out of things that brought me joy! I thought of several things right away, but then had to think a little deeper, later though of more things that bring me joy.
Many of these things mean a lot to me, so thought I would share them with you! Here's a list of things that bring me joy!
First: my religion. Many other things that bring me joy mean even more to me because of my religion. I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I believe in God as our Heavenly Father. I believe in Christ and His Atonement. I believe there is so much more to our existence than just this life that we live right now. We will continue after death, which makes my relationships with family and friends even more precious to me. Because of my faith, I served a mission which helped shape my life and who I am today.
The next thing that brings me joy- my husband. He has been a light in my life. He make me laugh, holds me when I feel bad, makes me feel so loved. He makes the silliest sounds (one day he made me believe a bird was chirping back and forth with me), supports me, encourages me to be the best I can be. He makes it worth getting up in the morning, even though it's cold outside (brrrrr). Above all, he loves me despite mistakes I make, despite my shortcomings. He brings me presents. Right now, I can't think of anything else in my life that makes me happier. Knowing that I will be with him forever, through the sealing ordinance of the temple, brings me such joy it overflows.
Connected with that, the next thing that brings me joy is my family. Again, they encourage me, make me a better person, boost me up, and are there for me whenever I need them. My best memories are always with family, whether mine or Dan's. Family reunions and camping trips are the highlight of our summers!
Another big thing in my life that means a lot to me and brings me joy and happiness: music. It lifts me up, gives me answers to prayers, strengthens my testimony of Christ, and sometimes it's just plain fun. I am so grateful for my musical talents, a mother that taught me how to play from a young age, and being surrounded by many great musicians. I love listening to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and lots of other people too! Music can take a bad day and turn it into a great day.
Something else that brings me joy- nature. I love seeing the beauty in the world around us. I love the mountains, forests, oceans, streams, meadows, flowers, trees, clouds, everything! I feel humbled the God created this world for us. And it's not plain, it's beautiful. I am so lucky to live in Utah, where we have majestic mountains, lakes and rivers, cliffs, meadows, red rock, deserts, and more. I find beauty and joy in everything from water droplets on pine needles to clouds at sunset and trees so big that the camera can't capture their size. I love how flowers can be intricate or simple.
Along with this, I love taking photography of the beauty in nature. I love it when I capture that moment perfectly. My memory fades, but these photos are great reminders of what I see, and I can share them with everyone around me! Sharing that beauty brings me joy.
A random thing that make me happy and brings me joy- being crafty and creative. I love to quilt, cross stitch, crochet and pretty much make something from nothing. I cut up fabric, sew it together, just to cut it again and sew it again! Creating patterns with color, a little duck made of yarn, a picture from tons of little stitches, seeing something coming from chaos- this brings me joy.
Another thing that brings me joy- working! Especially in the library. I love feeling productive, like I make a difference. When someone asks for a recommendation and I help them find something and they read it and love it, it's fantastic! When I help someone find the solution to a problem, or a book that they need, I love it. Helping people is one of the best things about my job. And some days, just having a job, even if it's not ideal, is so much better than the alternative.
One last thing that brings me joy- teaching. I teach a Gospel Doctrine class in my ward (an adult class where we study the scriptures). I love teaching this class. Most the time, I try to find ways to make it more of a discussion, not just me lecturing. But being there, leading the discussion, sharing my testimony, hopefully helping other strengthen their testimonies, I love it. Having a chance to share my love of the gospel, my love of the scriptures, my gratitude for Christ, it brings me joy every time, even if I stress about it too!
Making this list, I've started to wonder why I don't spend more time doing those things that bring me joy. I spend way too much time on Facebook, or doing things that don't really matter. That mindfulness session has helped me reevaluate my life, even though it was just this little presentation at the library. Once again, the Lord watches out for me, helps direct my life. Ever since I saw this session was being offered, I knew I wanted to attend.
I want to spend more time pursuing those things that bring me joy! I want more joy in my life! Finding joy despite the hard times, despite how crazy the world is around us, this will make a difference in our lives- improve them and make us happier people. Hard times will be there, struggles will come. But if we pursue joy in the right places, in things that matter, we will be happy.
What brings you joy? I want to know!
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