Find Your JOY

I love digging in my flower gardens. I find so much joy in getting dirty and watching my flowers grow. It gives me a place to escape the thoughts of the day and the worries of tomorrow. These days I find myself consumed with other thoughts, but there was a time when I was consumed with the worry of starting our family. If this is you today, I want to encourage you to FIND YOUR JOY!

What do you do that makes you happy...like truly happy? An activity that you have to concentrate on just enough to do it right but not enough that you hate doing it. I've compiled a list of my favorites, and I hope you see some you can find joy in as well!

1. Gardening

Yes, this is first because it may be my favorite summer pass time! Get outside and get dirty! Learn about what grows best next to your house in the shade...you never know when you need the perfect house picture for your adoption profile! I think what I love most about gardening is making things beautiful. I love looking out and thinking, that is there because I took care of it!

2. Exercise

Get out and move! Join the gym or a fitness class, dance for an hour, and laugh with strangers! Not your thing? At lease get out and take a walk or run. Put your head phones on and go sweat for a while! Exercising can create endorphins in the brain to actually make you feel better! (Pole dancing class anyone?)

3. Scrapbook

I have traded this in for digital scrap books now, but I'm sure there are some out there that still enjoy creating the perfect pages or greeting cards from paper! I do love looking at all the different papers to choose from! Even online book making takes time and concentration, and I love getting my finished product in the mail!

4. Crochet or Knitting

I will totally admit, I taught myself how to crochet in college. (I know, I got made fun of) BUT, this is the most mind numbing activity you could learn that serves a real purpose! I have made so many gifts, and it is so easy to get lost in the project and forget everything going on...No regrets!

5. Reading/Writing

Now, you must know, I love to write. I have kept a journal for years and years, and I highly recommend writing about your infertility journey. A safe place to let it all out...all the hurt and the anger, all the hopes and the dreams. (No one has to see it but you) It can be so therapeutic. There is also nothing quite like getting lost in a good book! So have at it, crack open a book and write your own story or find refuge in someone else's.

Bottom line, do something that makes you happy and forget everything else for an hour or two or three! You will feel refreshed and able to think more clearly and rationally. Without an outlet of working on something, a hobby to distract, or a task to accomplish every thought we have could be about conceiving, adoption paperwork, or finances of either. So, take a breather, relax, and FIND YOUR JOY!