I found joy going to the health club and swimming for the first time in forever. I've realized that my body is holding trauma, maybe for many years, and this manifests in disordered eating and unexplained pains. Thus I've embarked in what I call "physical wellness".

It was so pleasant, to swim about 25 minutes and then sit in the whirlpool and stretch.

This is where I'm not going to get hard on myself about my shape, or how slow I am, or compare my body to anyone else's. This is about having fun, releasing stress wherever it hides, and pleasure in my own body. I accomplished all three things. It's about listening to my body, and building on my work when I can but stopping if it hurts.

The club itself is very body-positive, with no pressure to be a gym rat, lose x amount of weight, or look a certain way. I think there's one scale in the locker room, that's it. There are classes for really tough things like Cross-Fit, but I love the emphasis on fun and family. It's a very safe place for this kind of work. I doubt I'm the only one in there for bodywork, and not necessarily "exercise".

DOGS!!!! We have three Pitbulls and a... giant poodle something... at our emergency shelter at work right now. I don't usually work over there but the director called to let me know I had to come over ASAP to help welcome new furry friends. (This is a shelter for women and children but we have a grant that gave us parameters to allow them to bring dogs and cats if they are safe for communal living) I got to hug and scritch all of the wiggly happy dogs and assemble a big crate for the biggest of the big. Best part of my day.

My neurosurgeon telling me I'm allowed to drive again

Finding Joy Today
 

Sitting looking out my LR window at the falling snow and enjoying the fireplace. It is a comfortable view and peaceful. Gives me joy to have these things.

A very fun brunch today with a sweet, new, friend…
My beautiful and loving Shitzu’s and their 6 week old puppies learning to eat soft food…
My adult daughter randomly telling me she loves me…
A quiet evening at home after a very busy week…

I spent a lot of time over the weekend working on the house I'm buying and it's really starting to feel like home again. I lived in the home (rented) for 10 years but haven't lived there for the past 4 years and the energy really changed in there. I've scrubbed, saged, and aired the house out. Now I've been spending time painting, burning my favorite incense, and playing good music in there and it's feeling really good again.

Had lunch with a dear friend that I used to work with. I haven't seen her almost all year because we both had too much going on. It was such a delight to see her, especially now that we can celebrate her retirement.

Another joy... currently cuddled up on the couch with my 3 doggies, all snoring contently.

Forgot another joy... being able to get out of the house by myself and moving about with less pain.

Doing a great job on a task I completed for a friend. Also made friend some blueberry muffins.

Finding Joy Today
 

No snow again today. None on the ground. If the hwy. is clear my brother will come into town. Sunny cold days with little wind, beautiful winter day brings me joy to possibilities.

Vanilla Swiss Almond ice cream.

Also, a happy doggo that loves to dance in the blowing cold wind while leaves swirl around her.

It was after midnight last night, so that counts as today.

The boy and I watched It's A Wonderful Life.

How did you find JOY today?
 

An old friend from some time ago that I hadn't spoken to in ages phoned me. She had been abroad and did not have my info with her so it has been a long long time for sure. Was so very nice to hear her voice as we go way back and her call was unexpected. We will get together soon and chat about old times. Brought much joy to me this day.

Playing Christmas games with the boy. Also, baking.

My application to the lineage society "Settlers and Builders of Ohio" was probably accepted! It was "good to go", according to the genealogist I was working with.

A lineage society is a group whose members can trace their ancestry back to a place or event, such as the Mayflower, the Revolutionary War, or the Civil War. Most states have one for early settlers or pioneers, and the one I applied for was for settlers in Ohio by 1850. That's a lot of generations, so it was a lot of documents.

I'm quite proud of this, even if the genealogist offered a lot of suggestions for future attempts at other societies, and can't wait for a conference in May when they give out the new certificates.

A phone call with a very good friend this morning. I picked up the phone and she just said... "Giiiiirrrrrlllll" and we busted out laughing, knowing it was going to be a fun talk.

I painted my bedroom yellow. It's a little more yellow than I thought it would be but that's okay. It's cheery.