january joyful jar

This is my first year I am using a joyful jar and it has made me so happy!  You can read my initial post about it HERE, but the intent is simple:

• Get one jar
• Each night write down one thing that made you happy
• Drop it in the jar

It has been such a delight to watch this jar fill up with colorful slips of paper.  The jar sits on the center of my kitchen table.  I precut a bunch of paper and have them ready to go next to my jar along with a marker.  Seeing the jar every day and having the paper ready to go has made it super simple for me to keep up with the practice.  

Have you been keeping your own jar?

I thought it would be fun at the end of each month to dig my hand in and pull out one slip of paper.  To have a moment of celebration for one of my happy moments.  So I did just that.  I dg my hand in and pulled out:

:: Waking up this morning feeling so well rested.  The blanket feeling soft.  The waking up easy and gentle.  Yes, this is happiness ::

I write my moments down each night before I slip into bed.  The house quiet.  The day coming to a close.  It has been the perfect night time ritual.  

Go ahead and dig your hand into your own jar.  Pull out one slip of paper and together let's celebrate your happy moment.  I would for you to share it in the comments or over on the love notes Facebook page.  Celebrating is way more fun when we do it together!  

taking action

I love to dream and scheme.  To list out ideas, write down my biggest hopes, collage how I want to feel.  Yes, these pieces are a deep part of my self care practice.  They ignite the spark within me.  

I enjoy sitting down and wildly letting go.  It is in these moments that I identify what I am craving and unearth my deepest desires.  There is color and light.  Excitement and hope.  It is fantastically fun and freeing.   

This is the beginning phase and it is easy because there are no rules or expectations.   I can safely reach for the stars.  I can put down what is deep in my heart with out fear, embarrassment or risk because all I am doing it getting it out.  In this phase there is no thought about action or how to.  It is all dreaming and acknowledging what it is you truly want.  

The hard part comes in when you choose to say yes.  When you hold yourself accountable every single day to taking the steps towards making it happen.  This is when fear creeps in.  Fear that you don't deserve it.  Fear that you aren't good enough.  Fear that you can't make it happen.  

You stand on the edge embodied with uncomfortable feelings.  You want to give up, throw in the towel.  You don't like standing deep in this uncomfortableness.  Taking risk's is hard.  It comes with loss, fear, and the unknown.  You don't like not knowing where you are going to end up.  

But the only way to make something happen is to go after it.  To dream about it but to also take actionable steps towards it.  To choose the frightening yes over staying closed in.  It is not easy.  Oh my goodness it is not easy.  In fact it is terrifying and uncomfortable.  It doesn't feel good when you are deep in that middle ground working through the muck, risking your heart, and taking the chance.  

There will be times, many times when it will not go the way you wanted.  You will be disappointed, hearts will be broken, and many tears will be shed.  But through the hurt you will also be a little bit stronger, grown a little bit taller, and learned just a little bit more about yourself.  New tools will be added to your toolkit and the next time you risk you will be armed with different options, prepared to take on the uphill battle.  

We must risk.  We must take action.  When we stay small, cocooned in our own nest we never grown our wings and we never learn to fly.  And as Deb Talan says in her song Big Strong Girl:

"anything worth anything takes more than a few days and a long long night.  

shake and groove

Some weeks aren't as easy as others
There are some weeks that are full to the brim
Your head is spinning and
You don't know which was is up and which way is down
Running from one thing to the next just looking for a bit of air to breathe

Yes, there are weeks like this
But then there is also some things to get you out of the funk like:
*  A good dance tune that can lift your sprits
*  A walk around the block
*  A chat with a good friend
*  A quiet moment alone at home 
*  A good old fashion girl movie
*  A nice hot shower

Go ahead give one a try!  It is never to late to change your mood.  
 

thank you dear friend

Hello dear friend,

We may have never met.  I may not know your name or may have never seen your face.  But there you are on the other side of the screen and for that I am grateful.  Here I am in NJ cozied up in my little apartment and through this wondrous screen we have the opportunity to connect.  You may be far away but here we are together in this space.  

Thank you for being here.  For showing up and reading my words.  Thank you for the support you give, the love you share, and for your wide open heart that brings so much light to my world.  I am grateful for you dear reader.

When I began my blogging journey I had no idea what would unfold.  All I knew is that I was drawn to this medium and excited to explore it.  In May I will have been blogging for ten years, yes ten years.  Wow!  Some of you have been with me from the start and for that I am beyond grateful and in complete awe.  

My wish for the future is to connect more deeply with you.  To hear your stories, write brave words alongside you, and explore the ways we can make this ordinary life extraordinary.  I want to see your smiling face in person and give you a great big hug.  

My hope is that I inspire you to explore your own story and live with your heart wide open.  I hope my words open you up and make you see that you are not alone.  Each of us are traveling our own paths but as human beings we are connected on our journeys.    

I want you to know that who you are and what you do matters.  The world needs YOU, yes YOU exactly as you are.  So lift your head up to the sky and say a great big yes to living boldly.  

Thank you for YOU.  Thank you for being here.  Thank you for all the love and light you shine in this world. I am so grateful our paths have crossed and look forward to digger deeper with you.   

all my love
Jennifer

Want to give a listen to this letter . . . click play above to hear me read it to you.  

This letter was inspired by Universal Letter Writing Week {January 8 - 14}.  Each day this week I am writing one letter.  The oneI wrote yesterday was sealed in an envelope and mailed off.  What about you?  Who could you write a thank you letter to today?  

happiness jar

While pursuing Facebook I noticed a theme of different post revolving around rememburlutions and happiness jars.  The idea was the same . . . . remember the good times.  This struck a deep chord with me because I have tried a countless number of times to keep a gratitude journal but always failed.  Being an avid journaler I thought I would jump right into it, but for some reason I struggled to remembered to fill it out.  

What I LOVE about the joyful jar is that I will be able to watch it fill up.  This will be motivation enough to add a moment in each night.  I already know that my jar will take on a life of it's own.  I see myself filling it up with moments I don't want to forget, happiness, and gratitude.  

I love going through my photos at the end of each year and reminiscing on what happened.  I have a feeling that having words to go with those photos will make it that much better.  When I am feeling down I can just dig into my jar and take a trip down happiness lane.  

Creating a joyful jar is simple.  Choose a jar, a box, or anything that can hold slips of paper.  Each night before you go to bed write down one good thing --- a memory, a moment of gratitude, a piece of happiness from your day.  Then fold it up and drop it in the jar.  That's it.  Simple.  

Now imagine New Years Even 2015, opening up your joyful jar and reading through a years worth of goodness.  Divine!!  So what do you say, are you in?  If you do it I would love to see photos of your jar . . . share them over on the love notes Facebook page.    

music :: the key to my heart

Music is the key to my happiness.  It is what wakes me, picks me up when I am having a bad day, and gets me moving and grooving.  If you enter my apartment when I am home alone you will likely find a candle lit and music playing.  

Click play to listen to the top 10 songs that I played over and over again in 2014.  

Music speaks to me deeply.  It is one of my biggest teachers.  I know when I am in a bad mood or looking for some inspiration that I can turn on a specific song and immediately be shaken free.

For this of you who may not be able to view the grooveshark playlist the top 10 songs are:

1. I Lived - One Republic
2. Brave - Sarah Bareilles
3. I Run for Life - Melissa Ethridge
4. Shattered - O.A.R.
5. Counting Stars - One Republic
6. Home - Phillip Phillips
7. High Hope - Glen Hansard
8. I Do - Jude
9. We Are Young - Fun
10. The Load Out (Stay) - Jackson Brown

For the longest time my life theme song was Upside Down by Jack Johnson.  However this year big things happened and a new song spoke to me and ignited my spark. My new theme song is #1 on the list:  I Lived by One Republic.  

What about you?  Do you have a life theme song?  What songs get you up moving and grooving.  songs move you?