I’m back! After a very relaxing
extra-long weekend at one of my favourite places it’s now time to play a little
catch up. Finding joy was pretty easy to
come by the last few days but I wanted to make sure that I kept on track for my
challenge by being a little more intentional about it. I tried to decide what would bring me joy
each day, although sometimes it was still the unplanned that brought it into my
day the most. I also wanted to make sure
that I was keeping up with the challenge of daily blogging so although I wasn’t
publishing it I still kept writing the entries each night. Now that I’m back I will share those entries
a couple at a time until I get myself caught back up. Happy reading!
Day 10’s Joy – Deep
Conversations with a Friend (Wed Jun 27)
As I transition to a laidback vacation version of myself I know the
next few days finding joy will be a little easier. Today I found my joy having a discussion with
the friend who came with me to King’s Fold this time. The night we arrive we have created a
tradition where we bring our dinner with us and then go and find a room to have
our ‘picnic’. The conversations we have
during this shared meal are often quite varied but always a good way to start
our retreat.
Today the discussion turned to my Miracle Morning practices because I
had recommended that she read the book by Hal Elrod and she had brought it with
her to read while we were on retreat.
She was curious about what all I have gotten out of the practice since
starting it. This actually led to a
bigger conversation about the concept/idea of the law of attraction.
Just getting to openly discuss some of the ideas I have been reading
about as I continue to learn about myself is special. I don’t often openly share some of the ideas
I have been exploring for fear that people will start to think I’m getting to
be a little out there. When I can find
someone who shares some of the same beliefs it feels amazing to talk about
it. I gain so much out of conversations
like this. I get to explore my thoughts
and in trying to communicate those thoughts I find that I’m able to gain more
clarity around them. It also just feels
good to connect with someone and to find that maybe your ideas aren’t so crazy
or out there after all.
One of the things I have been actively working on this year is
connecting more with people. I often
keep myself from sharing my thoughts and ideas for fear of the reaction people
will have. This year really pushing against
that fear has been showing me that it’s actually okay to let people in and let
the true Jill come out. It has been
amazing to experience. So this
conversation was the perfect way to find some joy in the day and in my own
growth. I can’t think of a better way to
start what will likely be quite a reflective vacation.
Day 11’s Joy – Enjoying a Silent
Lunch (Thurs Jun 28)
My joy today surprised me a lot.
Have you ever shared a meal with other people in silence? It is an experience that is hard to put into
words. When I woke up this morning I
knew that the lunch would be a challenge for me but I also decided that I would
try and make it my joy for the day. In
the end it was a beautiful meal and proved that you can find joy in anything if
you have the right mindset.
The very first time I did a silent lunch was maybe on my second visit
to King’s Fold about 4 years ago. I can
still picture it like it was yesterday.
There was a big thunderstorm outside which was actually pretty amazing
but changed things a bit. I had been
told typically people get a tray and go off on their own during a silent lunch
but the because of the rain most people seemed to stay in the dining room. I can’t remember all that we were served that
day but I do remember the fresh cut veggies.
It was really hard for me not to giggle as all you could hear was the crunching
of carrots. It was an experience that I
will never forget. I did feel bad though
because it felt like I wasn’t giving the experience the proper respect. Since that first silent lunch I have actively
avoided being out at KF on a Thursday so that I could avoid the practice, until
this visit.
Leading up to the vacation I was nervous about participating in a silent
lunch again. The amazing thing was that I didn’t need to worry. My experience this time around was completely
different. Going in with the mindset
that this would bring me joy helped me to enjoy the meal and the
experience. I was open to whatever was
about to happen and in the end I loved the meal today. Sitting in silence listening to the sounds of
the dining room was pretty cool. The
energy in the room was warm and comfortable.
I felt connected to everyone in a way I can’t really describe.
The amazing part of the experience was realizing that I’m actually a
lot more comfortable with silence than I was 4 years ago. The first time I found myself constantly
worrying and feeling self-conscious about how loud I was being. It’s hard to enjoy something when you are
hyper aware of how loud you are and stuck in your head worrying what people are
thinking about you. This time though
because of my meditation practices I was able to turn that worry off and just
relax into the beauty of silence. The
world looks and sounds different when you stop the spinning thoughts in your
brain and just exist in the moment. It
felt like pure joy to me.
I’m so grateful to get to try a silent lunch again. It was an amazing experience to teach me how
much I’m learning about myself and what
will bring me joy.
Thank you to everyone still reading these entries and asking me about them. I'm loving this challenge.
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