Joy!

This week was quite interesting to say the least, especially with school. Monday we were off because of MLK, Jr. Day, Tuesday I left school early for an appointment, Wednesday + Ice = No School, Thursday was a regular day and then today we had a two-hour delay. I could really get used to a barely 3-day work week! Primarily because I have been able to sleep so much more this week! Wa-hoo! Nothing like my 13 hour nap/sleep about a week ago, but more shut eye for sure! :)

Anyways! I have spent too much time reading forums and such and today I read something that really struck me:

Joy lies in today.

Makes sense right? Too often I am guilty of waiting for joy to come. I anticipate an great weekend [*cough* February 4^th], I look forward to spending time with Chris/family/friends, or going one place or another will be so much fun. But all of it is in the future. Additionally I am a bit of a worrier so in a vicious-cycle twisted kind of way, sometimes I don’t enjoy the now in fear that something later is going to happen that would take the joy away. It doesn’t make sense, but I do it. But joy lies in TODAY. Today I can choose to be joyous [and content] in my circumstances regardless of what that might look like. I can cash in on the joy today instead of investing it in tomorrow because then tomorrow I can turn around and cash in some more! Today I can choose to be joyous even if tomorrow that joy is taken away from me.

Joy lies in today.

When I read this this morning I was also reminded of my faux New Year’s resolution. [You see I don’t make them and never really have—except twice and I kept both of them! Once to stop picking my nose and the other to not drink pop for a year. There’s some transparency for you! :)] Anyways at the first of the year, my spin instructor—who so graciously kicks my butt three times a week!—mentioned that no one is going to cause her to have a bad day.

I like that.

No one can cause me to have a bad day. It is a choice that only I can make and I am not going to give that power over to another! So while I don’t have a resolution such as lose ten pounds [Check. Did that in December.] or to budget our finances [Check. Been doing that since May 2009ish.] I decided that this motto/idea would become my faux resolution.

No one can cause me to have a bad day.

Because.

Joy lies in today.

It doesn’t matter if my students drive me bonkers [which happens] or I get stopped by every red light [which happens] or store clerks are particularly rude [which happens especially when they don’t understand their own store’s policy for coupons] or life in general just seems down [which happens], I am choosing not to let anyone or anything to cause me to have a bad day. And that, my friends, is trumped by the fact that joy lies in today.

So how are you choosing to experience joy today?!

But before signing off for today, I do have to make one little confession. Even though I am working at making this my motto, there is a particular time when I find it particularly difficult… when I am in the woman’s restroom at school! Why you may ask, in hopes that I don’t get too personal? Well that’s because the toilet paper dispenser doesn’t spin smoothly and as a result I get one. square. at. a. time. This still steals a little of my joy! :)