Looking for Comfort and Joy

With all that is going in our world right now, finding “comfort and joy” feels challenging at times.  But I’m not giving up hope. I am going for both. And I hope you are, too.

Some days for me that means doing two meditations instead of one, or calling a friend, or two, to talk.  Other days it may mean enjoying some of the trusted comforts of old—like getting out all the traditional family holiday decor, savoring a piece of Italian panettone in the morning with my caffe latte, and making gnocchi from scratch to have with basil pesto at dinner time.  I’m also stretching a bit to create the new——like making granola (a success!) and baking brown bread (hmm…) And I have been looking for any and all twinkly lights, and am very aware that Winter Solstice with its promise of slowly increasing daylight is almost here.  Yes!☀️

I’m also seeking fun, “up” activities—like walking in nature, doing artwork, attending local music events with John, watching the birds enjoy their bird baths, having friends over for nibbles—and praying and sending positive thoughts to those who are suffering right now.  

To help along the way, I have discovered a few “up” accessories… 

❤️The Little  Box of Joy: Find Joy Everyday with 30 Mindful Activities, by Joanne Ruelos Diaz, illustrated by Annelies Draws.   (For Ages 3+.  I think I qualify😉)  The card I pulled this morning said “Enjoy a book”  and gave various ways to do that.

This set of activities is a sweet accompaniment to a book, by the same author and illustrator, called The Little Book of Joy: 365 Ways to Celebrate Everyday which I have mentioned in an earlier post.

❤️Little Joys: A Happy and Hopeful Coloring Book by Anna-Laura Sullivan.  Each page has a whimsical image in black and white with an accompanying title…like “seeing a shooting star just for you,” “the weight of an pet resting on you” and “embarking on a new chapter.”  As the creator says, “Coloring is more than a mindless activity—it’s a form of rest and reconnection.  Playful, lighthearted peace.”  I’m there!  

❤️Christmas: Watercolor Workbook by Emily Lex Studio, a gift from a friend, with twelve colored Christmas illustrations. Below each illustration is a palette of paint colors used and instructions on how to replicate the colors in the lightly outlined sketch on the facing page;  one can follow the instructions or improvise. I have been doing one illustration a day for the last few days and will complete the twelfth one on Christmas Day! I am loving the simplicity, and yet challenge, of each exercise.  I have two other Emily Lex Studio watercolor workbooks—one on birds, which I loved doing, and another on flowers which may be part of welcoming in the new year.

And so, dear readers, may this holiday season bring you comfort and joy in whatever proportions are right for you now.  Be good to yourself, Happy Holidays💚🎄 and see you next year🎉❤️.

”Courage doesn’t always roar.  Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying ‘I will try again tomorrow.”

                                                                                                          Mary Anne Radmacher