A Journey Into Joy
Step 1 — Week 2: You Are Here
Step 1 is about taking an honest assessment—just the facts, without judgment—of where we are right now in the different areas of our life (health, personal life, work life, retirement, home, leisure, play, education, family, community, and so on). In order to move into joy, we must know where we are right now.
To join in on the journey, visit the MandalaoftheMonth.com to download the mandala and learn more about this step.
Here’s my journal entry for week 2: Home
My husband and I are blessed with living in a cute, 1,100 sf home in a lovely neighborhood and city in Oregon. It’s not that are home doesn’t bring us joy, it’s what we’ve done (or not done) to it, that takes us away from the joy. While it’s better than it used to be, in all honesty it’s overcrowded with stuff…which makes it difficult to maintain.
I see these simplified, minimalistic homes and I envy their serene environment. It would make my heart sing to live that simply. So why don’t I? Well, for one thing there’s two of us here which means we’ve doubled our fear of letting go of stuff…we might need it some day?…but so-and-so gave that to us as a gift…but that’s a souvenir from my childhood…and so on.
Along with the clutter is the lack of doing regular household chores. I’m embarrassed to say that I am not a good housekeeper. As a matter of fact, I hate it…who doesn’t? The thing is because I hate it, I do the bare minimum. I know this all stems from my childhood and therefore a lame excuse…like Cher’s line in “Moonstruck”… I need to: SNAP OUT OF IT!
I grew up in a home where my mother had a weekly regimen: every day was a different section of the house. Thursdays were my least favorite: that was the kitchen. Every week we’d clean out the refrigerator, wash down the kitchen cabinets, wash down the walls, and last but not least, we’d get down on our hands and knees to scrub off the old floor wax with SOS pads and then put down a new coat of wax. EVERY WEEK! My mom prided herself in having a clean and spotless house…so much so…you could eat off the floor.
What made this worse for me was that none of my brothers had to do any of it. Being the only daughter, only my mother and I did all the housework. My brothers got to do outside chores. So I admit I have some (or maybe a lot of) housekeeping resentments and because of that I let that stop me from honoring my home by taking care of it.
Where Do I Go From Here
Last week I saw an IG post about decluttering in 5-minute intervals. So I set up a new routine to take 5 minutes every hour (if possible) to declutter, straighten, or clean some area of our home. For the most part I’m averaging about 5-6 sessions a day. I have to say I’m amazed as to how much I can do in 5 minutes and how much I’ve accomplished so far. This routine is a keeper.
Another thing I need to do is work through my housekeeping resentments. I can do that with EFT.
I have a couple of friends who actually love doing housekeeping chores…they see it as a mindfulness exercise and a way to bless their homes and their belongings. I’m aiming in that direction…to be in a place where taking care of my home and being in a simplified home makes my heart sing with joy.
That’s it for now,
Maureen
The Mandala Lady
inspiring and encouraging creativity, curiosity, and play through the art of mandalas
ABOUT “A JOURNEY INTO JOY”
With all the anxiety and stress in the world right now, focusing on joy may seem a bit counterintuitive. Mais contraire mes amis. We actually need more joy in our lives…now more than ever. And it starts within each of us. It’s been my experience that when in that higher vibrational state of joy, it helps raise the vibration of those around us as well.
Brené Brown defines joy as “an intense feeling of deep spiritual connection, pleasure, and appreciation”. Of late, I mostly experience only moments of happiness and on a rare occasion, joy…thus my desire to journey into joy.
My quest throughout this year is to explore, experience, and express this state in a variety of ways, including following a variation of the hero’s journey, as professed by Jospeh Campbell.
Care to join me? Here’s how…
MandalaoftheMonth.com: On the first of the month, I’ll create and post a mandala for coloring. Each month we’ll take another step along the “journey into joy” by following a modified version Joseph Campbell’s a hero’s journey. Included in each step will be a description of the step and prompts for coloring and/or journaling for the month. You’re welcome to color them as well…they’re free to download.
MandalaoftheWeek.com: Each Monday I’ll be posting my coloring of that month’s Mandala of the Month, which will produce 4-5 colorings of that design. With each one, I intend to dig deeper into the message of that month’s mandala. You’re welcome to color along as well.
Mandala of the Week 