[CULTIVATE] JOY: Make time for friends

One of the things that brings me the most joy in life is spending time with my closest friends and family. God has blessed me abundantly with some of the greatest women and men the world has ever known, but sometimes life gets in the way and I find it’s been a long time between visits. Other things creep into life — karate, reading, sewing, training for Tough Mudder, etc. — that have started to take up the time I used to spend with friends when I was younger. Also, people have gotten married and had kids, which makes scheduling get-togethers a little trickier.

This month, I wanted to increase my joy through good fellowship and friendship by making more time with my friends and family. My productivity in other areas of my life has dropped a little, but I’ve found that I’ve had some incredible time with friends this month, and have more planned in the next few weeks. This is definitely something I want to keep as a priority, even after May is over.

(And now for a paragraph full of people you probably don’t know…)

I started off my month with a visit down to San Diego to visit Noelle, Steve, and Susan, where we laughed and drank margaritas and tried to figure out the difference between homonyms and homophones (NERDS). I’ve attended two book clubs without feeling like either was a chore. (It helped that we decided to postpone one book, so it was just dinner with friends. Oh, and I’d read the other book already.) At one book club, we spent the whole evening laughing so hard reading out of a dictionary (NERDS) that I couldn’t breathe. I’ve had dinner twice with my lovely Aunt Bonnie, and Brittney and I had a “date” that included Thai food, ice cream, wine, and ginger cookies. And Battlestar Galactica. Ryan and I had dinner and played Scrabble with Carolyn and Jason, who are moving away soon (commence weeping), and we spent quality time with both our families on Mother’s Day. We also went out to dinner with my family to celebrate my and my dad’s birthdays. I had dinner with Katie, and we’re planning a Day O Cookin’ on Memorial Day, where we’re going to cook for pretty much all of June in one day. I am looking forward to Katie time way more than cooking time, since cooking is scary and food is my nemesis. Had dinner with my parents, Ryan, Brittney, and Robert last night, and was reminded (mostly through laughs) at how much I enjoy spending time with favorite people. And that’s not to mention 40 hours a week at work with Ms. Joy herself, Amy.

This month has been amazing! It really has. Spending time with my friends, family, boyfriend — it’s all been one big joysplosion. (I feel like making up words makes me more joyful, too. Joystravaganza! Serendipijoyity!)

For many of my action items, I feel like some of the things have been difficult. But not here! I do feel like I’ve been “unproductive” this month — I haven’t sewed like I’ve wanted to, I’ve missed some training for Eppie’s Great Race and Tough Mudder (injury hasn’t helped), I haven’t been posting blogs according to my entirely too rigid schedule. But the joy I’ve gotten through true fellowship has been irreplaceable! *JOYDANCE*

(Literally…I just danced. It was amazing. It had jazz hands.)