Nearly every day on my Instagram stories, I share moments of joy from my day. I love the insights that come from people sharing their to-do lists in their stories and I love a list, but I don’t want my digital space to be another place where I have a series of tasks to accomplish or feel badly about reprioritizing. I also am trying to judge myself less for how productive or not I am. And I still wanted to share glimpses of my day with my community, so I landed on sharing “Today’s Joys”.
I love that writing out these joys gives me an opportunity to celebrate the small moments and I find myself noticing them more and finding patterns in what I find joyful. Anytime I do any of the these things, they make the list:
• Smelling lilacs
• Spending time making something for fun
• Listening to rain
• Using a mug or glass that makes happy to look at
• Sharing time with friends
• Reading a book
• Working on some sort of puzzle or challenge or game
• Wrapping up in a quilt
• Eating cheese or ice cream or a popsicle
• Being outside in the sun
• Perusing a thrift shop or pinterest or farmers market
• Wearing clothes that I feel good in
Taking the time to reflect on these moments and others like them is one of the ways I find myself practicing Hakarat HaTov, the Jewish idea of “recognizing the good.” Part of the beauty of many of these things is that there are opportunities to do them every day. Even on days that are hard, I still have coffee. I usually still do a mini crossword puzzle. I still hear the rain or feel the sun. I enjoy food every day. I get to wear clothes that I love. Within my routines are these moments of joy and reflecting on them out helps me to experience them more fully.
My life is improved through this reflection and sharing. I hope it highlights parts of my life that aren’t about what I’m accomplishing, but instead the pieces of each day that sparkle for me. I hope you are finding those moments in your days, too.
Cassidy Fogg Leighton 