Thursday, February 21, 2013

Choose joy.


On Monday night, I went to Trader Joe's after spin class. I picked up two bags of frozen peas, a package of shallots and a container of chicken broth, among a few other things. Then I came home, chopped up the shallots and some garlic, sauteed them in some olive oil, dumped in the peas and the broth, boiled and simmered, pureed everything in the blender—and then promptly spilled it.

All over the floor.
All over myself.

I am not kidding when I tell you it looked like I got slimed by Swamp Thing. It was gross. And what did I do?

Oh, friends, I cried. A lot. To the point where I had shaking shoulders, puffy eyes and goo dripping from my nose. It was awful. I cried like my heart was broken, and I cried for a long, long time. Over pea soup. (Seriously. Although, to be fair, there's been some other stuff happening in my life that had probably been bottled up for awhile, and spilled soup was a good excuse for all of it to come out through my eye sockets.)

Poor ACS, bless him, listened to me sob for a good long while, and a hot shower and some sleep also helped me gain some perspective, as did a day spent outside for work on Tuesday. (I mean, how can you be sad when you've got this view right in front of you?) But I still felt off most of yesterday, and so today I've decided to come up with a little happy list—here, in no particular order, are 10 things that are putting a smile on my face right now—you know, as opposed to making me wail like a banshee. Choose joy, like the image above says, right? (Note, however, that the list does not include pea soup.)

1. The little bubbles that float up from the top of the dish detergent bottle when you squeeze it.
2. Glorious February weather.
3. ACS. Always.
4.Sushi dinners with favorite friends.
5. My fluffy felines, who like to touch noses with me (Oscar) and sleep on my head (Zadie).
6. Um, did I mention this view? Lucky to have it nearby.
7. Perfect chai teas in the morning and afternoon: Two Tazo chai teabags, hot water, a glug of almond milk, a splash of agave. Yum. Also, I'm still loving matcha lattes, especially on the weekends.
8. Weekly flowers on my coffee table. This week: pink tulips.
9. New books! Currently reading The Twelve Tribes of Hattie, to be followed by Ian MacEwan's new one, Sweet Tooth. 
10. Wine. I mean, come on.

What's making you happy right now? What's the first happy thought you turn to when you're having a rough day?

xoxo

Photo: My own, snapped at the fantastic Starfish Company Market in Cortez. "Choose joy"I love it.

8 comments:

  1. I totally get the little things happening and making you cry due to larger problems. So when I'm having a not-so-ideal day I just try to remember how good life is, how easy it is here in comparison to some other places in the world. It generally works. Also: chocolate. ; )

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    1. Yes--love your positive outlook! (And yes, always chocolate! :)) Thanks, Adrienne. xoxo

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  2. I burned myself on the stove the other day and started crying at my stupidity. Reading this made me feel a little better. Knowing that we can all cry a little and laugh a little at our blunders make it all worth it.

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    1. Totally agree! We're all in this together. I also cried hysterically over a banana cream pie that once slid riiiight into the trash can when I had JUST finished topping it with whipped cream. I was so upset--and then I started laughing because it was so ridiculous. Glad my cats were the only ones there to see that one. ;) xoxo

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  3. I think everyone has had at least one moment like this- so sorry about the soup, but I love that you've reframed it and chosen to focus on all the positive things that are happening in your life right now! Choosing joy puts the control back in your hands and puts those frustrating moments in perspective. Great outlook.

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  4. This post made me tear up a bit as I read. I've been there and during all of January I felt much like this. Some little thing set me off at the end of the day which would lead to sobbing which would lead to just a general unhappiness that I would turn inward on myself - going to that mean place where I'm hard and unkind to myself.

    Anyways, taking the time to make yourself dinner when you've got a lot going on in life is something to be commended for. A lot of people don't take the time to take care of themselves when everything else is a little flustered. So whether you spilled it or not, good for you for taking care of yourself.

    Sometimes we all need to spill the soup and just cry about it. My version of this is missing the bus. :)

    Choosing Joy is such a great mantra when the going gets rough. Thanks for reminding me to keep my chin up, too. Life is this everyday thing that we're doing right now. It's not in the future or the past. Choosing joy reminds me to live in the present.

    xx,
    e

    http://leanerbythelake.com

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    1. Aw, Eileen, thank you so much for this comment! I'm so glad we are blog friends. And I couldn't agree with this sentence more: "Sometimes we all just need to spill the soup and cry about it." Amen, sister. And then, I think, we need to be thankful for the people in our lives--the ones who we see every day and the ones we've never met!--who support us.

      xoxo

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