Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Almost every morning when my seven-year-old, Mika, and I walk to school, we stop at a specific spot to admire the mountains. We have been stopping to admire the mountains on the way to school since Mika started kindergarten. I usually say, “Look at the beautiful place we live. We are so lucky.” and Mika usually takes a drink of water, then agrees with me. This morning I rolled past our place and Mika called to me to stop. She loves to admire the mountains as much as I do.
I have loved Colorado since I was a child. I was raised in Nebraska and many years we would visit family friends who lived in the Denver area. I loved looking up at the mountains and said when I grew up, I was going to live in Colorado so I could look at mountains every day.
I did grow up and move to Colorado; however, some days I forget to look at the mountains. You may wonder how that is possible. Colorado Springs is right along the mountain range. If we drive 20 minutes we are on the mountains. There are very few places in town you cannot see the mountains and that is usually because you are walking on the east side of a building.
Mountain views are everywhere here, so how can I forget to look? It is not that I do not see the mountains; I do not notice the mountains. I have sat at a bus stop near my house for possibly 1,000 times in the past several years. Three weeks ago, I realized there is a spectacular, expansive view of the mountains from that very spot. The bus stop is not any different; the mountains did not suddenly turn rainbow colors and sprout flashing lights. The only difference was me, noticing.
When I am at that bus stop, I am looking down the street for my bus, reading a book, shivering in the cold, or several other tasks that I am focusing on at any given time. What I am not doing is simply looking around for the beauty in the area. That preoccupation has caused me to miss out on 1,000 small moments of joy.
As part of my exceptional exit plan, I am looking for as many of those small moments of joy I can find and share with others. My hair has started growing back from my recently completed chemotherapy treatments and it is soooo soft. I rub my head several times a day and smile. It feels like baby chick hair. When I go to my networking events, I invite others to rub my hair and the people who do rub it always smile.
My piece of advice to you is to choose one thing you see nearly every day that you can focus on for 30 seconds that brings you joy. Is there a beautiful tree you can see from your office window that makes you smile? Do you cross a bridge on your commute and love to look at the water? Do you walk past a playground and like to listen to the laughter of children?
1,000 small moments of joy at a bus stop. 1,000 small moments of joy at a stop light. 1,000 small moments of joy walking to school. Those small moments start to add up when we get out of our heads and notice what is around us. The more joy you seek in your life, the more joyous you become.
Until next time,
Susanne
Please check out my GoFundMe page.
Almost every morning when my seven-year-old, Mika, and I walk to school, we stop at a specific spot to admire the mountains. We have been stopping to admire the mountains on the way to school since Mika started kindergarten. I usually say, “Look at the beautiful place we live. We are so lucky.” and Mika usually takes a drink of water, then agrees with me. This morning I rolled past our place and Mika called to me to stop. She loves to admire the mountains as much as I do.
I have loved Colorado since I was a child. I was raised in Nebraska and many years we would visit family friends who lived in the Denver area. I loved looking up at the mountains and said when I grew up, I was going to live in Colorado so I could look at mountains every day.
I did grow up and move to Colorado; however, some days I forget to look at the mountains. You may wonder how that is possible. Colorado Springs is right along the mountain range. If we drive 20 minutes we are on the mountains. There are very few places in town you cannot see the mountains and that is usually because you are walking on the east side of a building.
Mountain views are everywhere here, so how can I forget to look? It is not that I do not see the mountains; I do not notice the mountains. I have sat at a bus stop near my house for possibly 1,000 times in the past several years. Three weeks ago, I realized there is a spectacular, expansive view of the mountains from that very spot. The bus stop is not any different; the mountains did not suddenly turn rainbow colors and sprout flashing lights. The only difference was me, noticing.
When I am at that bus stop, I am looking down the street for my bus, reading a book, shivering in the cold, or several other tasks that I am focusing on at any given time. What I am not doing is simply looking around for the beauty in the area. That preoccupation has caused me to miss out on 1,000 small moments of joy.
As part of my exceptional exit plan, I am looking for as many of those small moments of joy I can find and share with others. My hair has started growing back from my recently completed chemotherapy treatments and it is soooo soft. I rub my head several times a day and smile. It feels like baby chick hair. When I go to my networking events, I invite others to rub my hair and the people who do rub it always smile.
My piece of advice to you is to choose one thing you see nearly every day that you can focus on for 30 seconds that brings you joy. Is there a beautiful tree you can see from your office window that makes you smile? Do you cross a bridge on your commute and love to look at the water? Do you walk past a playground and like to listen to the laughter of children?
1,000 small moments of joy at a bus stop. 1,000 small moments of joy at a stop light. 1,000 small moments of joy walking to school. Those small moments start to add up when we get out of our heads and notice what is around us. The more joy you seek in your life, the more joyous you become.
Until next time,
Susanne
Please check out my GoFundMe page.