Make it a great day, or not, the choice is yours!
One of our elementary school principals used to say that on the morning announcements each day. It’s stuck with me through the years. It is truly a choice what kind of day we have. We can choose to sulk, pout, be mad or bitter, and just have a rotten day, or we can choose to rejoice in the little things, find joy, and keep our chins up!
Obviously, the ultimate source of joy is Christ, here on earth, there are a few things I can choose to do that always help my day go better than worse.
+ Make the bed. Every day. This just starts my day off right. I haven’t always done it, but I started in 2008 when we bought our first home. It makes all the difference for me. I don’t see it as a chore, but as a choice for getting the day started on a high note.
+ Have a cup of coffee. Don’t like coffee? Have tea, or your comfort drink of choice. For me, it’s a latte. It has less to do with the caffeine (lots of times I order decaf, anyway) and more to do with the ahhhhhhhhhh moment of that first drink.
+ Go to bed with a tidy house. I do a quick walk-through before bed to make sure clutter is put away, no stray cups are left about, and general order is taking place. The biggest way this helps me? It means I wake up with a tidy house–and I’m already ahead for the day!
+ Group text with the girls. I actually have a few of these with different sets of friends, but not much else can turn my day around as quickly as our hilarity.
+ Send someone a card. It can be just a quick hand-written note or a long letter, but writing to a friend and dropping it in the mail is such a game-changer. It’s seemingly a thing of the past, but it brightens my day–and my friends.
+ Pay for the order behind you in the drive thru. Pay for the whole order, or just give the cashier a five dollar bill towards it, but either way, it’s a happy thing for all involved parties. It’s no coincidence that lots of my “day brighteners” are acts of generosity. It just feels so good to give! It’s an easy way to choose joy.
+ Be silly with your kid(s). Have a dance party, lay on the floor and play Legos, run through the sprinkler. Just pause whatever grown up thing you’re doing for a bit. It can wait. One of our favorite things to do is to take silly selfies and then flip back through them all later. My son thinks it’s absolutely hilarious.
What do you do to find the joy in each day?
My favorite thing to be silly with my kids? blanket fort! they are so much fun to build and play in.