Tag: joy

CATCHING THE SUNRISE

7am my alarm goes off.  I hit snooze and and take 1 minute to check my email while my brain wakes up.  I have laid my workout clothes out so I can literally just step into them when I stand up.  The night before, I have packed my bag with work clothes for the day.  I attempt to wrangle my hair into some sort of presentable fashion, throw on my shoes and a warmer layer and head downstairs.  I steer clear of caffeine as I get tons of energy from eating real food (fruits, vegetables, nuts, etc).  I usually cut up an apple, throw some raw almonds and a Lara bar in a container, grab my water and put it all in my Jeep.  I run back inside to make sure the dog gets a chance to do his business, get him some food and water and head out the door.  I jump into my car, put it in reverse and back out of my garage, closing the garage door behind me.  This entire process takes roughly 8 minutes…and I have become very aware that if it happens any other way, it’s not happening at all.  It sounds strict and regimented but how many excuses do you have for not going to the gym in the morning?  I have them too.

So I usually have Sirius XM Coffee House on the radio that slowly eases me into the day.  I drive down my road, head on US-23 north and I am off.  On the highway, the speed of my Jeep picks up as well as the pace of life.  I get off just a few exits from where I got on, take a right and it is the most magnificent part of the morning…the SUNRISE!!!  I am new to this working-out-in-the-morning thing (I don’t go into work until 10am so it just makes good sense, however it took me 7 solid years to figure it out)…so I am new to meeting the sunrise on a regular basis.  I began my working-out-in-the-morning adventure at the end of spring and its as already light by my 7am alarm.  Because I would prefer to be outside for workouts (when it is warm enough outside that is where you will find me) it has only been about 3 weeks since I started back at the gym and hence driving this route.

After that right turn, my path to the gym takes me directly towards the sunrise for half a mile, a jaunt north for 1 mile and then about 5 miles into the sunrise…it has become a really special part of the day.  It seems as though I have only gone to the gym on mornings without rain.  There has always been a few clouds in the sky, but I am grateful for those clouds because it gives shape, texture and dimension to this beautiful canvas spread out in front of me.  I love the first sun rays for their reddish-pinkish tones.  It illuminates the sky in a very soft and friendly way.  In the past few weeks the trees that line my route are also beautiful as they approach peak color season.  And as you can see from the picture, whatever is happening in the sky, is also reflected off the hood of my Jeep.

The other beautiful part of this time of the morning is knowing that there is an entire day ahead and though I have to fit within parameters with time, scheduling and obligations (like work), I get to choose what kind of day I want to have.  I get to pick the message I want to send to the world that day.  I get to choose who I am going to hang out with, what I am going to eat, how I am going to approach people and what kind of attitude I am going to meet the day with.  Imagine being greeted by a beautiful sunrise that seems to be inviting me to have a great day, then going to move my body (which includes swimming and you all know how I feel about swimming I LOVE SWIMMING ) getting ready for work interacting with other people and heading in to serve “The Exceptional Chiropractic Experience” at the Cafe of LIFE.  I will argue with you until I am blue in the face…life doesn’t get better than that.

I am blessed beyond measure and if you are reading this, I count you as one of my blessings.  I am grateful for everything that is this life and it brings me so much joy to share with people.  I hear from so many of my readers in private messages over email, Facebook, text message and in person…however I want to encourage you to take one simple action step here…I want to know how you start your days?  How do you ensure you are off on the best foot to maximize the potential of your day?  How do you begin?  Share in the comments below…you never know how far reaching your words will travel.  Maybe you will inspire others with your morning ritual.  Or maybe you are like me and really enjoy catching the sunrise.

THE SIMPLE THINGS

The joy in life is found in the simple things.  This past weekend I accompanied a girlfriend to a party on the lake. Besides my friend, I wasn’t going to know a single person at the party but it seems that when hanging out around the lake, everyone is so friendly that I was sure it was going to be a good time. Something Dr Erica Peabody - The simple things - Best chiropractor Fenton Michigan about the lake makes people happy. My understanding of the reason for the party was this couple got married and bought a house without telling anyone until it was over so this was a celebration of both of those things.

My assumption was correct and the party was a blast. The people were fun. The food was good. The house was beautiful. We stayed well into the night. Around 11pm were all chatting around a fire down by the water and Bob, the host of the party, arrived with a small cardboard box of stuff. It turns out that he had a bunch of Chinese lanterns.

Have you seen the movie “Tangled” the animated story of Rapunzel? Someone had recommended it to me so I watched it a few months back. Rapunzel finally had a day outside of the tower and her only goal was to go towards the lights. Every year, on her birthday, when she looked out the window in the evening, the sky would fill up Dr Erica Peabody - The Simple Things - Best Chiropractor Fenton Michigan with small lights. Though it was just an animated cartoon, the scene was really, really beautiful. She spent her free day in search of the source of those lights. Those lights were Chinese lanterns released from the people in the village. Fast forward to the happily-ever-after end of the movie is a beautiful scene filled with these lights, so beautiful I got a little choked up.

 

So you can imagine my delight when I realized that Bob had Chinese lanterns and that I was going to be able to light one and let it float up into the sky. I had no idea those lanterns existed in real life (though now that I googled it, I realize they are not THAT big of a deal) I don’t know if it is the fairytale-like scene that I am delighted by or what but it completely made my night to be able to light one off, actually it made my entire weekend! Its a really simple thing…but finding the joy in the simple things is what life is all about right? Have you found ridiculous joy in something so simple lately?