Day 31:
What a journey this "joy"ride has been this month! Don't get me wrong--I'm an optimist person but I'm also learning to honor space when I don't feel very joyful too, and at times I didn't feel very inspired. But after a good night's rest, or a stroll in the park before everyone has awakened, after a stroke of my cats' soft fur, or hearing a Bob Marley song, joy and inspiration do return. The zest and zeal of feeling inspired about something comes from the intensity of the realization that it could be fleeting. There are no guarantees but if we take a few minutes every now and then, each day to really recognize and name what is fun and enJOYing in our lives, we begin to feel inspired more often. And isn't that a wonderful side effect of joy? Add a little zest, name a little zeal and see what happens!
Namaste. :)
Day 30:
Today I wrote a reflection piece about this past month of joy, called Letting In Joy:
http://ecua-gringa.blogspot.com/2014/07/letting-in-joy.html
My many ways to express joy over the years:
Day 29:
I'm finding that finding joy is similar to being grateful; one must actively look for examples of each in life in order to truly benefit. :)
For example, selling my dear car is so bittersweet for me and has been pretty stressful at times, but in the process I have been able to truly appreciate all the joy she has given us. (Yes, I do use a gender with my car. :) ) The key, I'm finding, is to stop and actively reflect on what kind of joy I experience each day. That is why this practice has been so beneficial.
Day 28:
Car washes and lemonade stands are the best! :) Thankful for a sunny day off at home mostly.
Day 27:
Lakeside dinner with my mom and husband and an almost new car!
Day 26:
Zest & zeal in tasty food & time by the pool!
Day 25:
Starting out the day with a peaceful walk in the sun and ending the day with a delightful hike through the woods makes for a Friday full of zest. :) And I found my favorite tree! Her name is Sylvia and she is over 600 years old and she is massively beautiful!
Morning at Kelsey Creek Park:
Evening on the OO Denny Park trails:
Day 24:
Finding zest and zeal in a power outage and feeling like a kid again when there's an early release! :) Here is a hazy yet wonderful peekaboo view of the Seattle skyline that I discovered during the power outage at work:
Day 23:
Today I delighted in a mango during a heavy rain storm, which made it actually feel like a tropical storm in Hawaii. :) Mangos make everything better.
Day 22:
A blooming surprise overnight! (Finding zest & zeal in nature--one of my favorite ways, I'm finding.)
Day 21:
Zest and zeal found in sharing art and stories with others and finding lovely long-lost friends again. Feeling so grateful for the creative friendship connection. And getting one of my collages and blog pieces published in another friend's zine coming up next month! The time is now for sharing creativity and making art together! I can feel it! :)
Day 20:
Wonderful times with dear friends and their families were had today and being treated like part of the family is so special. :) My husband and I also visited an amazing view of the Seattle city skyline on our way to our friends.
Day 19:
Zest and zeal found at a local street fair and boat show--doing fun things for the first time like feeding alpacas and getting to be aboard a $1,000,000 yacht! :)
Day 18:
How can you not experience zest and zeal on a summery Friday? Especially when getting off work at noon and going for a walk to the local farmer's market by the water and getting gorgeous flowers from my husband.
Day 16 and 17:
More bugs hitching a ride with me after a refreshing morning stroll.
And discovering a secret koi in the hidden pond on another morning walk before work. :)
And a blog on embracing the little girl inside:
http://ecua-gringa.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-little-girl-inside.html
Day 15:
Midway through the month and I'm feeling a little stuck. This exercise of recognizing daily zest and zeal and enjoying life regularly can be more of a challenge than I had imagined. Especially when I have "summeritis" and desperately want to play outside all day instead of being inside working. I also have lots of fun and/or creative ideas floating around in my head of places to go and people to visit and workshops to create and parties and gatherings to plan, but I have a serious case of procrastination and lack of energy so the combination creates some stress. I'm struggling with the desire to be "productive" with my free time, but sometimes I just want to rest and that's okay too. Listening to my inner voice is a daily practice in and of itself! Actually a minute-by-minute practice. :) But today I did create a word collage of wellness that brought a little zest to my day and I had a delicious mango that my husband bought me which brought zeal to my soul. :)
Day 13 and 14:
I found zest in a super sunset yesterday and zeal in delicious Ecuadorian home-cooked food made by my wonderful husband tonight.
Day 12:
After a hard start to the day, spending part of the afternoon at home with cramps and having to miss a baby shower as a result, I am so thankful for the zest-filled, impromptu "Supermoon" walk my husband, Geovanny and I took tonight to a local beach called Juanita Beach near our home. The moon was absolutely GORGEOUS in all its brilliance & sheer size! We got to see a satellite--the first one Geo has ever seen, and 2 planets, Mars and Saturn, in addition to the most calming and inspiring moonlight shining on the water gently lapping the shore. A Supermoon really has a way of bringing zeal to the forefront and filling us with energy and light. I'm so grateful!
Day 11:
Zest & zeal found in an afternoon of naps, hikes, strawberries, and beaches with my sweetheart. :)
Day 10:
Feeling inspired from my favorite heroine of all times, Anne of Green Gables. She and my mom have taught me so much about loving the world and its beauty! :)
"Isn't it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive--it's such an interesting world. It wouldn't be half so interesting if we know all about everything, would it? There'd be no scope for imagination then, would there?"
Day 9:
Today I finally woke up early enough to get to work a little bit early and go for a delicious yet quick stroll in a nearby park. The morning was absolutely pristine--there were ducks and dragonflies and sunshine. It was a wonderful way to start the day with zest and zeal. On my way home, I saw a peculiar yet heartwarming site--a man walking with his turtle! More zest! And now I have been sitting outside on our balcony, soaking up the evening breeze and peace while writing my weekly blog. Ahhhh. :)
Here it is:
Remembering Gratitude, Courage and Vulnerability
Day 7 and 8:
Zest and zeal for life can be found in a comfortable chair on the balcony with a cool breeze after a warm summer day.
It can also be found in discovering that a ladybug has accompanied you all the way to work, on your windshield, holding on for dear life and thankfully making it to its destination safely. :)
It can be found in a surprise visit from a good friend. In a relaxing massage. In the celebration of another month of being married. In a summer evening stroll along the water. In a good rerun.
You just have to start looking and sure enough, you'll find so much zest and zeal in life!
Day 6:
Today I found zest & zeal at the pool swimming with my little nephew. :) It's a hot sunny day in the Seattle area so everyone is outdoors enjoying the summer. I also love teaching Hayden fun, new words like "coconut" and "pineapple" and finding songs about these awesome fruits too. :)
“What hunger is in relation to food, zest is in relation to life.” ~Bertrand Russell | |
Day 5:
I used to be much more serious about a lot of things. I would get annoyed by people who talked about "just having fun." But now I can see how important having fun is for our well-being and overall outlook in life. Since it's not something that comes naturally to me at times, I have to remember to remind myself to have fun. Find zest. Look for zeal. Enjoy life. Sometimes quotes help me remember.
“Be Content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.” – Lao Tzu
“Time you enjoyed wasting is not wasted time.” – T.S. Elliot
“Time spent laughing is time spent with the gods.” – Japanese Proverb
“One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it’s worth watching.” – Unknown
Day 4:
There's always lots of zest and zeal to be found on Independance Day here in the U.S. but I also enjoyed the zest that comes to life with waking up earlier than I normally do on a holiday and going for a wonderful walk to the beach! And viewing the world as a canvas with the different colors, sounds, sights, beauty all around. Here are a few of my photographs from this morning's walk in nature:
Day 3:
Zest and zeal found in collaging tonight!
Day 1:
As with last month, and following Brene Brown's lead, I want to define the terms "zest" and "zeal" before anything. Definitions can spark more creative thought around a new topic and more ideas for applications to try throughout this practice as well.
zestnoun \ˈzest\
: lively excitement : a feeling of enjoyment and enthusiasm: a lively quality that increases enjoyment, excitement, or energy
zealgreat energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective
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