Finding Forgotten Joy

Why am I so often blinded by the negativity in my world? I tell myself (and anyone who will listen) that 2019 was a tough year, that I’m glad it will end soon. Too many scams, falls and financial woes – and that’s just on a person level. If I follow the news too closely, I’m ready to close myself in a dark room for days on end.

Instead, I decide to page through my 2019 calendar (yes, I still keep a paper planner in addition to the cell phone calendar). It’s an eye-opening exercise that I highly recommend to anyone who tends to focus on the negative as I found myself doing.  

Perhaps the holiday letters that some folks write each year are all about reminiscing the positive. So, here’s my Happy Holidays Letter to all. It turns out 2019 was not such a bad year after all, simply a very busy year with a few bumps in the road.

Last winter was a time of hikes, snowshoeing and cycling. Tom and I took part in the Seattle Viaduct Ride before demolition began. A month later we did a 3-day, town-to-town ride in Oregon’s beautiful Willamette Valley.

Spring brought another weekend of cycling, this time in Grayland, WA where we stayed in a state park yurt and explored the cranberry bogs by bike and the beach on foot. The first weekend in May we began a major home remodel that monopolized the entire summer. No regrets, just a long summer of hard work and construction chaos. In June we celebrated our daughter’s graduation from the University of Washington where she earned her Master’s in Social Work. To celebrate Mother’s Day, Erin took me on a mother-daughter camping trip – a childhood tradition revisited.

Summer was glorious in Seattle – lovely weather and no forest fire smoke. In August, we enjoyed my  mother-in-law’s annual visit, always a welcome pleasure. In early September I had the unusual experience of attending a slumber party in Las Vegas (I’d never been) with a dozen other Medicare-aged women with whom I once attended high school. An odd and rewarding event. The remodel allowed little time for hiking, but still we managed a half dozen adventures into the woods before fall rain made hiking miserable and cycling impossible

Autumn was brighter and more glorious than I ever remember, and I was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest! October was a full and fabulous month. Four days after celebrating my 65^th birthday, my sixth book was released. But best of all, I learned we will be grandparents in the coming spring. I am overwhelmed joy! In November, Erin and Elliot took us to his family cabin on the Olympic Peninsula for a much-needed retreat for all of us. It was a lovely weekend of long beach walks, great food and lots of card games. Erin always wins! Now December is here and 2019 is coming to a close. Winter break from teaching has been a time to take stock and prioritize for 2020. We learned that our first grandchild will be a boy. I can focus on little else!

2020 will be fabulous, but then 2019 was really nothing to complain about either. It’s all in how you look at it. Have you taken a moment to scroll through your calendar? You might be surprised to find joy buried there.