Last weekend the province where I live was battered by a fierce wind storm. Lots of beaches were reshaped by the huge swells, windows got blown out, and water flooded shorelines washing away cars, trailers and sheds. There are lots of days when I think we have been whipped about too much by big winds and heavy rains. The month of November was especially ridiculous with constant rain and almost unrelenting greyness.
So when we got a beautiful day of sunshine, we made the most of it. We grabbed a picnic lunch and took off to see the holiday lights on boats. The sky was blue, the wind was low and the road was empty.
Every year boat owners in Port de Grave decorate their boats with coloured lights, a few snowflakes and other holiday shapes, add some snow people, and trim the harbour walk with more lights. It’s a great walk (the harbourside is fairly level) and the event is very kid and family friendly.
There is something very calming about enjoying pretty lights on a clear evening that’s crisp enough to see your breath but not so cold you are unhappy. I’m glad we seized the day and had that joyful moment.
Joyful moments don’t have to be complicated. We live in difficult times. We need to find joy and revel in it.
Take a walk. Pet a cat. Read a book. Drink a hot cup of tea with a nice biscuit. Find a cozy blanket. Repot your plants. Heck, even spending five minutes picking off the dead leaves is satisfying. Take another walk. Alphabetize your books. Organize them by colour. Dust the shelves while you are at it. Go for a swim. Feel the water flow over your body. Brush your hair 100 times. Make a gratitude list. Or set a time and just sit, enjoying the fact you are doing nothing for five or ten minutes.
I’ve been thinking a lot about mental fitness and how we are overwhelmed daily by shoulds, musts and nows. I hear friends and myself saying, “we have too much on our plate.” Dietitians tell us to make half our plate vegetables. Perhaps I should make my daily plate half full of joyful things. Or maybe I should choose a smaller plate and do less of the shoulds, musts, and nows.
My word of the year is replenish, which my dictionary defines as restoring to original condition, building up, or refilling when empty. After you work out, you have to refuel to build your energy levels or restore your muscle fibres. Why don’t we apply the same focus to waged labour, emotional labour, household labour, and so on? That work also taxes the mind and body; it’s time to replenish and rebuild the mental stores of resilience.
What will you do to replenish? How will you rebuild your resilience? Let us know in the comments.
MarthaFitat55 enjoys powerlifting, swimming, dancing and yoga and doesn’t do nearly enough of the last three.
Love this so much — half a plate of joy every day!
Resilience and replenish. Words to live by!