tiny moments of joy

This post is part of my Joy Experiment series which is published every Monday-ish, and is a place to explore Joy (what it is, how to create it, why it’s important, etc).

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I have a confession: it was really hard for me to publish last week’s Joy Experiment post.

As in, I felt sick to my stomach for half the day after I posted it. And my skin felt like it was crawling in a most unnatural way.

Still, it felt important for me to say it. And I am glad that I did.

But then when it came time to write today’s post, I stalled. I just didn’t want to sit down to write.

The feeling was somewhere between “oh no… I’m not going there again” and “how do I follow that?

So I watched The Voice. And I hung out on Facebook. And I ate doughnuts.

And then I let go.

Of the fear.

Of the expectation.

And what I got in its place was inspiration.

Tiny Moments

I realized I don’t need to “top” last week’s post. And I don’t need to try to do it again (right now).

All I need to do is show up and share a tiny moment of joy.

Because that’s where joy is. In the moments.

I think that’s why practicing gratitude is so important to cultivating joy: By practicing gratitude, we consciously acknowledge some of those moments that bring us joy.

So here goes…

Some of the tiny moments of joy in my life recently:

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A lazy Saturday spent with a computer & Raven on my lap.
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a beautiful morning on my deck
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mmm… Pinkberry.
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tea + chocolate + writing = a joyful afternoon
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homemade, brightly colored salad with grilled salmon. Healthy tastes delicious.
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Raven again. This cat brings me so many moments of joy (this was taken right after she stretched all the way up through the tips of her ears… so darn cute).

Join me in spreading tiny moments of joy

I started a hashtag on Instagram & Twitter: #TinyMomentsOfJoy so that we can capture & share our tiny moments of joy.

It can be anything:
From a photo of the cup of tea that you enjoy in the afternoon to your baby’s smile to your dog waiting to go for a walk… anything that brings you a little bit of joy.

Some other ideas:

  • Share a quote that inspired you to smile.
  • Tell us what you’re grateful for right now.
  • Take a picture of the pair of sandals you get to wear now that it’s warming up

Anything (that brings you joy) goes.

Be sure to tag it with #TinyMomentsOfJoy and I will share my favorites here next week (and ongoing).

Let’s start a movement. One tiny moment of joy at a time.

Connect with me on twitter and Instagram… and let’s do this!

Joy to the World! (literally).

What tiny moment of joy did you have today?