JOY SHALL WE FIND

 

joy + ride

There are some things which no-one can ever take away from me. Some things which reside firmly, deeply, within me. Some beliefs which will never falter, no matter how bad the day is. The search and experience of joy is one very important piece. I mention it repeatedly on here - that every day I look, observe, listen, and find some form of beauty around me. The song of birds, the budding flower on a plant in the garden, the drawing one of my children has done, the smiles I get from them, the deliciousness of cutting new fabric, the euphoria of casting on with eagerly anticipated yarn, the swish of fabric on a new coat, the shadows forming across fences and puddles.

Sheri and Shari are running 'find joy' through the month of May, and this is something I definately want to contribute to, and document at the flickr group. I've thought long and hard over the last few days about what I might want to persue. For me, to take part in this, is a serious committment to doing something different, or taking something I already do and extending it. It has to be sustainable time and energy wise, and be fitted in around family life. But therein lies the huge explosion that joy can be - incorporating small changes and things into your life, enhancing what already exists so to speak, to dust everything with a smile and laughter, even if only on the inside.

So my three things:

1. The Food [] I love food and I love cooking, but doing it every single day, sometimes cooking 2 or 3 different dinners or variations of one dinner to suit tastes, can be monotonous. I would love to find two new recipes, untried by us before, to make each week. For a start we'll get some delicious new tastes happening, maybe some new dishes to become staples, and it gives me something to work towards in getting ingredients together - I love the planning as much as the cooking, the looking for ideas, the flicking through magazines and cook books. I started on Sunday by making the chicken leek and pancetta pie that Kirsten made recently. Seriously, seriously good. The smell of white wine and chicken and leeks cooking away filled the house. I'm still deciding what the next recipe will be...

2. The Sewing [] Each week I'd like to draft out a new pattern, put some of my ideas onto paper and make a prototype. Easier said than done when your sewing machine is in being repaired with no expected return date, and your spare machine wasn't running terribly well the last time you used it. I have a few ideas I've been thinking through in my head, time to put them into action. This weeks' excersise will be started this afternoon while the house is quiet. This is the joy of creating, of putting aside the pressure to make, and just letting it happen. And the joy of an outcome which may be suprisingly good, and something to be shared.

3. The House [] The piles and things to be sorted are starting to overcome us again. No sooner do we get one room sorted, than we're starting again because the piles of things keep moving around. Time to start throwing things out that aren't needed, clear out the drawers and wardrobes of clothes not being worn, old, needing repair etc and give them away to people who could really do with them now winter is coming. Time to sort through paperwork and file. Time to clear the piles of children's artwork that is gathering in height and volume by the week. And time to sort through old boxes of 'stuff' and make ruthless decisions about whether it's needed or not. Time to make decisions about how things are displayed and what's hidden and what's shown. And time to frame some more things once the clutter is gone to complete the process. Each week, a different room. Clarity in the home will have a huge knock affect to how we live and use the house, and how we all feel in the house too - simple joy of being somewhere which is a very beautiful house, and which will have more beauty in pared back order.

So there's my three things - what will your three things be?

Comments

[frog]

OK, this is a good challenge, since my April seemed to be about too busy to stop.
1. Food - our weekaday lives got a lot busier this past month but I don't want to use that as an excuse not to have lovely, warming, enjoyable food to bring us together each night.
2. Photography - I was getting right into this before April, so I'd like to pick my camera up again and take it for a walk once or twice a week.
3. Studio - a little hut perches halfway down our slope, cluttered with ideas and potential and stuff. So, bit by bit during May, I can find more joy in the bags and shelves of fabric and yarn, the pencils, sketch pads, charcoal and ink.

[kyrie]

I'm still thinking about this one- and hoping I can figure something out before the month runs out.

Yours are lovely, especially the food one.

[Michelle]

Nice to think about changing things around for a month. Very inspirational.

Snap on the food.
Exploring more vegetarian options and trying to make that a first choice rather than a fallback. Which will be interesting with my little carnivores.

I would like to make myself an actual pair of jeans that fit and pass. Which will involve tinkering with a pattern, but once it's tinkered with it should be a great staple. The hours I've wasted trying on jeans......

And yes, house. Those piles are diabolical arn't they. I never get to the end of them. ever. ever. Reducing the piles is a great thing to make a May goal.

Oh dear - it's down in writing. I'm starting to panic....

[Lin]

I think that my 3 things will be ...
Reading a book, I never give time to reading except for study stuff, so just to read for pleasure.
Knitting socks, a luxury yarn and a pattern from CookieA's new book.
Being out in the garden for a few moments at least in the day, sometimes life is just too busy and I forget!

[brooke]

Loved reading your three things, especially number 1. My three things.
Cook more, read Gourmet magazine for inspiration.
Find a moment each day to spin some fiber.
Take more walks.

[kirsten]

lovely reminder.
for me:
allowing myself some t i m e. time to eat lunch at the table rather than the computer. time to flick turn off the computer when the kids are home.
not sure about the others yet. probably some reflection/thankful/prayer type time. i always find that helpful to finish the end of the day positively.
take the dogs for a walk - totally fallen by the wayside at the moment, the poor things!

[theresa/t does wool]

I have been thinking, since this post went up, just what my three joys might be...I must say, that just having those that I love happy and safe would bring me the first and most joy...secondly, just the joy of being alone...quiet...solitude to think a moment to be, and third...would be to be at the sea,always.