30 Day Joy Challenge

Join in with me on the June Joy Project!  My goal was to find or create joy for 30 days in a row.  Hopefully some of my ideas will inspire you to find JOY each day.

Day 1: Immerse yourself in a hobby.

I have one friend who delights in gardening and another friend who could spend hours on DIY projects like tying strips of sheets together to make a rug.

For me, I decided to write a sci fi short story… just making it up from moment to moment.  I surprised myself with all the twists my story took.  Anything that you can get lost in is not a waste of time, but rather it’s your gateway into joy.

Day 2:  Enjoy live music!

What a fun night to be under the stars, lit up city skyscrapers, and electric fluffy clouds!  The band’s energy was contagious and had everyone moving and singing along.  People of all ages and fashions were linking arms to do leg kicks to an Arabian song one minute and then dancing to a medley of 80’s pop songs the next minute.  Sheer joy and delight on everyone’s faces!  Click the link below to see part of the performance!

Irish Band in Uptown Charlotte 

Day 3: Pool Time…just floating in the water or splashing around with the kids

The feel of being weightless, cool liquid gliding over your body, and laying yourself open to the sky…this is my delight on a summer’s day!

Day 4: Savor a favorite food or drink.

Then try to describe it to an alien!  I chose a nice cup of coffee.

Warm mug in cold hands

Steam opening facial pores

Rich aroma, deep taste

Liquid adrenaline rushing through veins

Conjuring up memories

And dreams

And creativity

Day 5: Play games with strangers.

I attended DRAGO (aka bingo). My friend, Stephanie, and I ended up running into her friend, Julie, and Julie’s friend, Stephanie! What are the odds! We all won prizes and made new friends! You never know what the universe holds when you put yourself out there!

Here we are pretending like we’re looking in a mirror! Julie to Julie, Stephanie to Stephanie!

Day 6: Write someone a thank you note telling what you love about him/her.

Felt such joy thinking of each of my students to write them a thank you card today!

Day 8: Receiving gifts and gratitude from others!

One of my kindergartners gave me this beautiful bouquet today!

Day 9: Wear something that’s a conversation starter.

My Pac-Man leggings got called out by the 80s band we went to see, a man on the street made a flower for me, and two other people said these pants made their day!

Day 10: Carve something out of soap!

I think it is the most fun to just let the soap lead you!

Day 11: Take a step out into the world and see what happens!

I went to see Alt-J today and everything turned out perfect! The rain added to the drama of the music and the light show, and we got offered free box seats with a great view!

Day 12: Do something spiritual.

For me, that something was practicing healing touch on two beautiful souls!

Day 13: Take a walk in the woods.

The perfect escape on a lunch break!  So refreshing to be in the shade on a hot summer’s day, listening to the creek water babbling, and feeling peace settle in my bones.

Day 14: Use your body.

Laughing with my friend over yoga poses, relaxing in shavasana, and cotton candy clouds…

Day 15: Do something you loved to do as a child. 

Some friends and I played foursquare today. When’s the last time that you played?

Day 16: Take a night walk with someone you love.

Tonight I walked with my family on the beach. Did some “summer caroling” (playing mandolin and singing as we walked through the neighborhood) and then watched as the night unfolded before us.

Day 17: Getting your toes buried in sand!

Day 18: Seeing wild horses on the beach!

Riding in the jeep through the sand at dusk, listening to music and the ocean waves, and then to be surprised by horses! 

Day 19: Enjoying a book that makes you laugh out loud!

Day 20: That spontaneous moment when someone tells you that they love you … like my five-year-old niece did today!

Day 21: Celebrate someone when they least expect it!

Day 22: Take in the sunset.

Day 23: Let’s laugh at the mistakes in life.

Stop trying to be perfect. Don’t take life to seriously. I laughed out loud watching this Howlers video on Piñata Fails.  This kid was my favorite😁

Day 24: Go see some comedy.

Watched the talented Charlotte Squawks satire group perform parodies today. This little number was “Desperate Veto” set to the tune of “Despacito”. 😀

Day 25: Make the ordinary into something special.

We dress for dinner! (My niece was my make-up artist and hair stylist for the evening.)

Day 26: Create a spoof video.

I am in the process of creating kid reality shows… Such fun!  Need some inspiration? Check out Tripp and Tyler videos on YouTube like “things you can’t do when you’re not in the pool”.

Day 27: Dollar Store Competitions!

Today I challenged two teams to spend $5 in 10 minutes at the dollar store and get all they needed to make one room of a doll house. They had 20 minutes to put their ideas and materials together and were judged on three points: creativity, details, and whether it was structurally sound. Some of the other topics that they could’ve pulled out of the hat were to make a miniature amusement park ride or something you could use at a restaurant. Next dollar store challenge will be for adults!

Day 28: Play at a thrift store.

You never know what treasures you’ll find…

 

 

Day 29: Create a treasure hunt at a public park for anyone to follow.

So excited to see if anyone will find the treasure that we left!

Day 30: Let coincidences delight you!

Like the day when you go into the city accidentally wearing the colors everyone is wearing for a bar crawl. Suddenly everyone is talking to you and you are part of something!