I was so excited to see this passion flower in my garden and had to take this pic. Admittedly my amusement hurdle has a pretty low bar, but it’s a seriously cool flower, no? It has a raw savage beauty and fierceness all its own. And of course as fate would have it, this led me to contemplation on a completely different level.
Just because you can’t see it in yourself doesn’t change the truth that you are beautiful and extraordinary.
We often fail to recognize the amazing beauty around us, but the real tragedy is when we fail to recognize the incredible beauty within us. We are weird and magical and funky and unique and wonderful, and we should own every bit of it.
I’m going a bit out of order today and writing this before my daily tech turn off challenge occurs. The technology turn off rule has become a standard expectation by all in the house, so we are sans tech for 2.5 hours every evening. Although there have been a couple of debates regarding what should and shouldn’t fall into the challenge restrictions, the change has been received with overwhelming support by every family member here. I would have never believed it, but I’m a big time fan of the results and am perpetually awed by everyone’s commitment.
So here are my goals for today. I’m starting to add a few more to the list, but my minimum personal daily requirement is 3 goals. Again that means that I have to write 3 goals that I can actually do today to improve my health, happiness, well-being, world, and / or personal joy. I’m on a mission to be happy dammit, and my intention is to bring others along with me. 😉
- Write a post to keep my momentum momentum-ing and hopefully speak to someone’s heart in the process.
- Take a walk (and not just to the fridge).
- Finish the quarter end files I need to submit by tomorrow. I’m not excited about doing these spreadsheets, but I will be able to relax more once I have them off my plate. This task will have to happen before or after tech turn off time.
- Tackle at least 5 items in the laundry basket of shame looming behind me… This is an ever-changing pile of papers that once resided on my desk. Later the pile moved beside my desk. At some point I think it was even under my desk. It ended up in a laundry basket so we could stuff it in the car when we had a house showing a few weeks ago. From that day forward, they stayed in the basket behind my desk chair. I’m pretty confident that the pile has now started to reproduce as I see other pile children in there (little pilettes). I don’t know why I have been stalling on going through these. I started avoiding eye contact with the basket several days ago and have continued to refuse to address our ongoing lack of interaction. Please note that I really wanted to type “Deal with everything in the laundry basket” at beginning of this bullet point, but I didn’t think that it sounded realistic.
The point is to set goals that I will do today. These goals need to be important enough to mandate completion on the same day or small enough to eliminate any excuses I could create to avoid them. It does me no good to set a goal I can’t honestly 100% commit myself to doing. So those are my goals, and that’s going to be how I finish out my lucky 13th day.
It doesn’t require much effort, but you still have to be willing to go after your happiness. Create your joy, and stop waiting for your life to come to you. Go get it!
I hope that you have a beautiful Sunday and an amazing week! 🙂
***Joanna***
(Day 13)
Momentum of Joy 
Jul 09, 2017 @ 20:07:03
Great post. You got this!
Jul 09, 2017 @ 20:30:02
You got this! Remember, you’re young me…..😏
Jul 09, 2017 @ 20:35:51
Lol and yes that’s my prayer!
Jul 10, 2017 @ 00:35:58
Great post… How you find the words is beyond me…
I need to write something one day i will, feelings are in my heart, when it becomes words will send u the link
Jul 09, 2017 @ 23:45:02
YES YOU SO DO!!!!! I know that it will be amazing whenever you decide to do that!!!
Jul 10, 2017 @ 00:46:51
May not be like you, but something… I cant write on the spot. It’s when the force of emotions force the words out…
Jul 09, 2017 @ 23:50:06
I keep thinking about the beautiful post you wrote about your friend who made the comment about the elderly. It was so open and honest. It was wonderful. I know that you have the words. I hear them just in your comments girl. Maybe you should send me a bunch of comments and then we can copy and paste them into a post once a week?? 😉
Jul 09, 2017 @ 23:51:32
Hahaha no ways.. Our comments are for our hearts. They beat with the same flow when we read each other’s comments.. Soul sisters babes, soul sisters..
Jul 09, 2017 @ 23:53:59
I got brick bats for that post Jo.. So many attacked I had to delete as they went over my character and my country.. Can you beat that??
Jul 10, 2017 @ 06:06:37
https://bookreviewsbyshalini.wordpress.com/2017/07/10/musings-2
Jul 10, 2017 @ 07:57:41
My darling friend Shalini, I am moved beyond words. I keep trying to type a response, and yet I keep deleting my sentences. They can’t capture how beautiful that post was and how your words embraced my heart. I am so proud of you and am in awe of you beyond description. You truly are khoonkhar sherni, the fighting tigress. I am blessed to call you my friend. Thank you Shalini for letting me be a small part of your special world. You are my Adele and my inspiration. Always keep shining Fablini! It’s what your are meant to do!
Jul 10, 2017 @ 08:02:13
Ah Jo that post was all you and what you mean to me. I had all these feelings in me and as I told u, when thoughts become words I would post it. And you have my entire heart Jo. The others have pieces of it. I told you before I am nothing but your reflection so that’s all you. You bring out this side of me by your acceptance… Its as simple as that. Acceptance a simple word yet so powerful.
I do not know how Jo but you have always seen beauty in me.. Today I needed to tell you what you mean to me.
Jul 10, 2017 @ 08:08:45
You are so amazing my dear friend! One day you are going to write about THAT! One day you will see you the way we all see you. I’m not the only one who knows you are truly Fablini (but I may be the only one who uses that term) (for now…). 😉
Jul 10, 2017 @ 08:09:39
You are the only one who is allowed to use that 😉😉🤗🤗
Jul 10, 2017 @ 08:21:38
Ah Jo only you are allowed to use that name 😉😉🤗🤗
Jul 10, 2017 @ 07:16:14
Beautiful post. That flower is really unique. I love it. I think it’s great setting attainable goals daily because it builds confidence by the end of each day and keeps you happy. Thanks MoJo.
Jul 10, 2017 @ 07:32:26
Thank you for your wonderful comments Kip. What a lovely way to start my week. 😊
Jul 10, 2017 @ 09:17:53
You are very welcome dear.😃
Jul 10, 2017 @ 13:10:01
Beautiful post with a wonderful message. I’m going to keep this tab open so I can read through more carefully later.
I just tagged you in the Desert Island book tag. No obligation to do the tag, of course! Here’s the link if you’d like to check it out Desert Island Book Tag
Jo-Ann
Jul 10, 2017 @ 15:49:11
Thank you so very much sweet girl! I’ll definitely be kicking those questions around in my brain this evening. 🙂 I appreciate the shout out lovely. Hugs! Joanna
Jul 10, 2017 @ 13:47:42
🙂 I can honestly say I’ve never seen a passion flower before, lovely photograph. I sense through your writing you’re rightly pleased everyone has taken to the tech challenge and so willingly, to me this shows technology as a lifestyle is perhaps over hyped by multinational Corporations 🙂
Jul 10, 2017 @ 16:28:48
Isn’t it a weirdo cool flower?? The tech challenge is tough (like right now because I have to logoff in two minutes but have work to do and I want to write!) but it has been so good overall for our crew! 🙂
Jul 10, 2017 @ 14:36:35
I’m intrigued by the 2.5 hours of no tech. I’m thinking I need to do this, as I’m too dependent…
Jul 10, 2017 @ 22:39:51
It is strange how plugged in we are without even realizing it. I suppose it’s like driving after years of being behind the wheel. If you try it, I would really love to hear your feedback. I’m so curious to know if it would be tricky for other people to continue doing as well. I have almost knowingly broken my own challenge on multiple occasions for really goofy stuff just because I didn’t feel like I could wait out the time. Thankfully I didn’t but it’s disturbing how magnetized I feel to these devices.
Jul 10, 2017 @ 22:40:58
I know that my friend. 🙂
Jul 11, 2017 @ 11:32:51
A mother’s intuition. TY 🙂
Jul 11, 2017 @ 11:39:53
(or just a human’s)
Jul 12, 2017 @ 05:52:31
great goals! this spoke to me joanna. I am blind, my name is Carol anne. I love your blog very cool! and no tech for some time every day? wow. hope thats going well! feel free to follow me if you would like at http://therapybits.com/ xo
Jul 11, 2017 @ 23:53:54
Thank you so much sweet girl! And of course I would love to check you blog out! 🙂