Many years and a lifetime or two ago, I had a wonderful neighbor who was originally from Finland.
She was an amazing neighbor and an even better friend, and I enjoyed her company enormously. She was a very honest and true person and still is. She and her husband now live in Colorado.
One time after a return to Finland to visit relatives she surprised me with this little mobile. It has gotten carefully packed away over multiple moves and is still part of my every day.
Maybe I am just sentimental at heart, but I also think it’s the simplest things that can make you smile.
What brings you joy? Does your life bring you joy?
My life brings me joy. I am reminded again this week, how lucky I am. If you had asked me ten years ago this week if I thought I would be here, I would have had a different answer. But lives change, and through events set into motion now a long time ago, my life is blessedly very different. And to an extent, I am different. And I am glad.
Life experience changes us. It shows us what we like, don’t like, want, don’t want. The past ten years have been a whirlwind. The whirlwind has been a jumble of things: life, loss, love, growth.
But here I am. Ten years older and definitely a little wiser.
As human beings we grow over time. Or that is what the theory is. There are some who stay stuck, railing at the world instead of moving on with their lives. Those are people to be pitied as they live stagnant lives imbued with misery. They hold onto the negative with both fists. Hard. It’s sad really. I am very grateful that I am not one of those people, and I don’t have those kinds of people in my life. Life is too short.
And that is the thing of it: we are all only put on this earth for a finite amount of time. As human beings, we aren’t designed to be perfect, and we aren’t. We learn through age and experience that we can’t control the actions of others, only ourselves.
In June I will be breast cancer free three years. To me, that is an important milestone. More so than even a birthday. Breast cancer was a harsh, yet necessary teacher in my life. I learned a lot about myself. I learned to appreciate life for what it was, and not for what it wasn’t.
Being alive + being loved = joy. Stepping outside on a beautiful spring day is joy. Everyday life and simple pleasures of the ordinary are joy.
As I get ready to turn fifty, I can see more clearly than I have in years. And I appreciate my life. I love it and the people in it bring me joy. Truthfully, I wish that for everyone.
“When you rise in the morning, give thanks for the light, for your life, for your strength. Give thanks for the joy of living. If you see no reason to give thanks, the fault lies in yourself.”
