It is way more fun to write and
post my current days of joy then playing catch up so with that in mind I have
shortened my entries for the days while I was away in order to share them more
quickly. Happy reading.
Day 12’s Joy – A Fire and a Good
Book (Fri Jun 29)
There is something that feels incredibly luxurious and decadent about
getting to spend an entire evening sitting in front of a fireplace. At King’s Fold they have a beautiful library
with comfy chairs and a couch and a real wood fireplace. This has become my favourite evening spots. After dinner I tend to head down with
whatever book I’m reading and start the fire.
I have learned that one of the things that brings me the most joy is when
I can slow down and just enjoy the moment and a fire does that for me every
time. I find I often lose track of time
as I can spend hours just watching the fire flicker. Even if I’m lost in the pages of a good book,
the smell and sound of a fire relaxes me.
It is warm, cozy and just feels right.
It was a beautiful way to end my night and a great way to bring some joy
into the day.
Day 13’s Joy – A Sunrise (Sat
Jun 30)
Often when I’m away I will plan to get up early and set an alarm so
that I can watch the sun come up. It is a great way to start a day. This trip however I wasn’t planning on doing
it, mostly because with the damp weather and all the clouds I didn’t expect
much from a sunrise. Well apparently my
body had other plans because I woke up early today. When I looked out the window the fog in the
river valley looked amazing. I decided I
wanted to take some pictures so I quickly got dressed and headed outside.
I wandered over to the edge of the valley, dried off a seat and decided
to just soak it in. At 530am even though
there were lots of people at the retreat center, not a soul was up or
stirring. It was beautiful, quiet and
serene. The only sounds were the birds
calling to each other and the hum of the river flowing by below me. I just sat and watched the fog flow down the
valley. I was lost in the beauty of
it.
One of the coolest things about the view at King’s Fold is that while the
sun actually rises behind you the sunrise is reflected on the mountains in
front of you. The sky this morning took
on the faintest shade of pink as the sun rose higher but better than the sky is
actually what happens to the mountains. As
the sun comes up you get to watch the mountains turn from grey to a beautiful
pink to a wonderful pinky orange colour before turning back to the bright grey. I have watched this happen many times over
the years but it never grows old. It is
a view that inspires me. With the fog
and the mountains this morning it felt like a magical start to my day. It is the kind of joy that pours into your
soul and makes the rest of the day echo it.
Day 14’s Joy – My Favourite
Bench & the Sun (Sun Jul 1)
Much like my evening in front of the fireplace, sometimes the simple
things bring me the most joy. Slowing
down and just enjoying the moment is one of the pleasures I revel in when I’m
away. After a fairly rainy and cool
weekend when the sun came out and warmed things up a bit I knew what I wanted
my last joy of my vacation to be. There
is a spot that I love, that is a short walk away from the house. It’s on top of the ridge near a small chapel
that has been built in the woods. There
is a bench that sits right on the edge of the path and it is always surrounded by
beautiful wild flowers that attract all the butterflies.
When I first found the spot it was because it had the best cell
service, hehe. It took me a few visits
before I was able to go out to King’s Fold and disconnect more completely so
this spot felt like a guilty pleasure spot at first. Now however I love this spot because it is so
quiet. It seems like an area that not
many of the guests seem to make use of so rarely is there anyone to distract
me. It has become the place that I go to
when I just want to let my mind wander.
I have come up with lots of good ideas in this spot which is probably
why it has become associated with joy for me.
Today while I was there soaking up the sun, I found myself thinking a
lot about this 30 days of joy challenge.
Two weeks in and I’m finding it quite amazing at how much happier I feel
but more than that I’m surprised at how much I was taking things for granted
before. There is much more joy in my
life and inspiration in my life than I realized. I’m learning to find joy daily, sometimes all
it takes is to stop, soak up the sun, watch the butterflies and just be in the moment. It’s a pretty amazing thing to learn.
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