Joy List: Summer Edition

I’m pretty sure I’ve written about the concept of a Joy List before, but it’s a fun exercise, and one that could be repeated every few months as our tastes and circumstances evolve. I thought I’d write a Joy List: Summer Edition and invite you to do the same. And, this Joy List is going to have a bit of a twist to it—one that will hopefully make it easier and more powerful at the same time.

What is it? Basically, a Joy List is simply a list of all the things—big and small—that have brought you happiness, comfort, laughter, or hope. I’m breaking down the word “Joy” into these four categories of good feeling, because I have often felt the word “Joy” is a little intimidating, like I have to be feeling some immense spiritual connection to life in order for it to be true Joy. Joy can look like that, but in my experience, those moments don’t happen daily, and I want to experience Joy daily, so why not count the small things, too? The first sip of hot tea or coffee; the sunshine lighting up the living room; the sound of a song you love—these things can lift us up if we pay attention to them. And anything that lifts us up counts as Joy, in my opinion.

Usually, when I think of writing a Joy List, I imagine that I need to sit down with pen and paper and write down a huge list of things that lift me up. If I’m being honest, when I’m asked to do an exercise like that, I tend to go a bit blank. It’s not that I don’t have plenty of things to be grateful for, it’s just that my mind gets busy, and I’ll forget how I felt at 10:14 a.m. last Tuesday morning as I walked the school track near my house. Or I’ll think, I can’t write “the first sip of tea” on my Joy List because is that big or grand enough? If it’s a small pleasure every single day, does that daily nature take away from its power?

These hesitations gave me an idea, a twist on the normal Joy List. What if, instead of just writing down everything in one sitting, we caught ourselves in those moments of happiness, comfort, laughter, or hope, and simply named them?

I’ve mentioned the writer and podcaster Emily P. Freeman before in this blog, and I’ll mention her again here, because one of the things she often writes about is the power of naming the hard things in our lives. When we feel trapped in indecision, Freeman encourages us to pause and actually name the struggle. It’s an act of recognizing and therefore legitimizing pain, and in a strange way, acknowledging that you’re going through hardship has a way of lightening the load, even just a tiny amount. I could say more about this concept of naming indecision or pain, but that’s not what this week’s blog is about.

This is about recognizing Goodness—and slowing down long enough to give it a name, and in doing so, giving that Goodness more power in your life. Here’s your invitation:

1) Take a piece of paper and put it up somewhere you’ll see it daily. (I was originally going to say that you could do this by creating a list on your phone, but I think part of the power of this exercise is actually seeing this list everyday—it’s just there, waiting for you and then greeting you.)

2) As you go about your day, try to notice when something really moves you, makes you laugh, makes you smile involuntarily, makes you feel comforted or calm or closer to Life or God. (Please remember: The tiniest things count. Noticing that the sky is blue without a single cloud in sight counts. Your dog greeting you counts. It all counts.)

3) Write these things down on your piece of blank paper. You don’t have to be detailed. One thing that’s going on my list today are the words “Phenomenal Woman”. I heard a poet reading this beloved poem by Maya Angelou on Instagram this morning, and it was exactly what I needed to hear for one big, heavy reason. Do I need to write all that down on my Joy List? Nope. Just the words “Phenomenal Women” are enough to trigger that memory for me. To remind me that I felt uplifted this morning on a morning when I needed to feel uplifted.

4) Keep this list going. Add at least one thing to it each day if you can. Over time, when you look back, you’ll see how even when times are dark, Goodness finds her way in through small moments.

At the end of the summer, what will be on your list? If you decide to do this exercise, I’d love to hear from you and hear some of the things that found their way to your list. You can e-mail me at bethyhunter@gmail.com, or, if you’re so inclined, you can take a picture of your ongoing Joy List, post it to Instagram, and tag me: @bethyhunter OR @smallsoulblog

As always, thanks for reading.

Beth