Inviting in joy

Idea from Omgirly

I love the idea of inviting more joy into your life, as well as deliberately seeking it out. It is so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day -- paying bills, working, cleaning, making dinner, grocery shopping -- that days can go by without doing some of the things that bring you joy. So I thought if I wrote out some of the things that bring my joy, make me happy, it would be easier to remember to always seek them out and invite them in for a cup of tea :)

-- Running in the woods
-- Journaling
-- Drawing
-- Enjoying a cup of tea
-- Baking
-- Trying new recipes
-- Hiking
-- Playing soccer with Myra
-- Looking for small, pretty things on walks (new flowers, cool trees)
-- Making cards
-- Writing letters
-- Knitting
-- Cranking up itunes and dancing around the house
-- Wandering around Powells
-- Walking barefoot through the sand
-- Having friends over for dinner
-- Curling up on the couch under a blanket, reading, with a cup of tea nearby
-- Having a pot of tea in a pretty pot and cup, such as at the Tao of Tea
-- Road trips
-- Buying new pens or new card making supplies
-- Reading blogs, getting inspired
-- Finding new music, either through bloggie recommendations or playing around on itunes
-- Writing neatly, not rushed, so the writing itself looks pretty
-- Running in the rain (I have to remember that when it rains, that after the first few minutes, I actually really like it)
-- Napping, curled up under lots of blankets, with the pup nearby
-- Spending time with friends
-- Going out to dinner with Tim
-- Cold Stone Creamery (something that will be severely limited now that I'm pretty sure I'm lactose intolerant)
-- Watching Firefly
-- Watching Pixar movies
-- Driving over the Hawthorne bridge into downtown, and just loving how pretty the city is

That's a lot of joy :)