Choose joy

It rained last night. 

After several scorching weeks without any relief, the sound of rain against my bedroom window was unbelievably sweet. It lulled me into a deep, dreamless sleep, so in the morning I was up early. I went outside, enjoying the unfamiliar feel of damp grass under my bare feet while I sipped my morning coffee. 

Grey skies normally depress me, but today the clouds felt welcome: a delicious, cool exhalation after holding your hot breath for too long. The air smelled clean, earthy. The garden looked greener, fresher, alive with insects and birds.

A squirrel ran down the wall right next to me, with what looked like a plum stone in its mouth. It then tried to bury its swag, but the ground was still baked solid from the relentless heatwave. 

Still, it solved a mystery I’d pondered about for a few years now. The fruit trees are at the back of our garden, but I’m constantly weeding out young plum and cherry shoots close to the house. The squirrels have been farming. 

It was a fleeting moment. 

But it lingered. Every evening before bed, I write down three highlights of my day, things I’m grateful for. And this mundane little moment made the list.

It’s easy to deny yourself such indulgences, when life gets busy. Sometimes, getting up 10 minutes early and sipping your first drink of the day outside is all you need to make some space in a frantic day, to give yourself a little taste of joy. 

We tell ourselves we don’t have the time, but there is always time to take a few deep breaths, to come back to yourself and notice what’s happening around you. 

A five-minute walk, a few stretches, a brief pause between tasks: these tiny choices can transform a morning busy day into something calmer, slower, more joyful. We don’t have to earn this. We don’t need to deserve it. We just need to choose to do it. 

So do more of the tiny, joyful things.

Get outside. Walk the slightly longer but more scenic way home. Enjoy the seasons. Really savour a meal and taste it rather than shovelling it in mindlessly while working, or staring at a screen.

Take a play date, a nap, some time out to read. Play with your kids, walk your dog or share a laugh with a friend. (Without also checking your phone.)

Put some music on while you do the chores, or a podcast. Steal spaces to simply enjoy the moment, even if it’s only a few minutes.

And see if it makes a difference. To how rushed you feel. How productive or inspired you are. Your stress levels. Your creativity.

We’re all busy, busy, busy.

We have deadlines and urgent tasks. Money to earn; projects to complete; to-dos to tick off; people to care for; homes to keep clean; shopping, laundry and cooking to do. And don’t even mention the email, the texts, the endless messages on different channels. 

It’s easy to start thinking this is the point of life – getting it all done, or at least staying on top of it – and to forget that joy might be important too. That finding our happy places and going to them more often might make everything else easier.

The work is important. Of course it is. But so it having a joyful, inspiring life. 

So try taking more breaks. Seek out little pockets of joy, in your day. Experiment with consciously enjoying the moment, when you can. And let me know what happens!