“Do anything, but let it produce joy.”
~Walt Whitman
Transforming the mundane into ritual: Creating joy in the everyday essentials of life
One of my favorite affirmations is Feel Inspired, Not Required.
I remind myself of this as often as possible, especially when I am faced with doing something that may not feel like a hell yes.
For most choices in my life, I tune in to my intuition and ask myself, is this decision a hell yes? If I’m sensing some reluctance, I give myself permission to say no. To decline. To bow out. To choose something that feels better instead.
And still, there are some requirements of living that are not really a choice. Feeding ourselves and our family, for example, is essential. Even if we do not feel that hell yes response to grocery shopping and cooking, these are basic requirements in our lives.
So the question is, how do we infuse these required actions with a sense of freedom and joy…how can we be inspired as we fulfill our duties in life?
Whether it’s heading to the office, doing laundry, cooking a meal, repairing a vehicle, grocery shopping, or any task that may carry the weight of the word “work,” we come to our responsibilities with a choice.
We have the ability to respond to our duties with a feeling of inspiration, of freedom, of joy or to trudge through them with the heaviness of burden and a feeling of coercion.
To truly live an inspired, joyful life, we find ways to cultivate joy in the mundane. We decide to appreciate and enJOY our day to day experience.
Can you think of some aspect of your life where you can reframe your perspective?
Maybe it’s feeling stuck in your office job or feeling exhausted because of all your “chores” at home.
Maybe it’s feeling like you have to be the strong one in a relationship, or that you’re being controlled.
No matter what we face in our lives, we always always have choice.
We decide how we choose to respond to our experience.
We decide how we perceive what is happening in our lives.
We decide if we see things as happening to us or if we recognize our power to create the life we desire.
I think one of the greatest shifts we can make in our minds is to be aware of when we are falling into victim consciousness.
When we allow ourselves to be burdened and controlled by the “shoulds” in our minds.
If we are acting under the control of all those shoulds, then we will often act out of resentment and frustration.
When we shift our perception and realize that we truly have a choice, that we are free to choose in every moment how we perceive our lives, then we empower ourselves to feel inspired and not required no matter what we are doing.
I remember when I first retired from full time teaching, I was spending every waking hour caring for my four year old and infant daughters.
Words are not enough to express the depths of my gratitude for the choice I made and the support my husband gave me to be at home with our children.
I was over the moon that we had saved and prepared and aligned ourselves to create this lifestyle.
And still, as much as I loved sharing every moment with my girls and being mama to them, I started to feel a longing for personal time. Time to just be me.
I knew I needed to give to myself.
So I looked at our schedule and decided that I would make my weekly shopping routine into a ritual.
I blocked out two hours on Sunday mornings to gather food for our family.
I transformed what some perceive as a chore into an opportunity for me to enjoy a little personal time, the freedom to stroll through the farmer’s market and take my time, the quiet of a car ride without anyone asking me for anything.
Within a couple weeks, I was eagerly anticipating my Sunday mornings. I would gather my grocery bags, double check my meal plan, and add to my grocery list. Then I’d be off.
Time just for me…and for us.
I would chat with the vendors at the farmer’s market. I would drink a little coffee at Trader Joe’s. I would take my time cruising to find whatever we wanted and needed to nourish our family for the week.
I felt abundant.
Gathering food for our family was no longer a chore for me. It was a gift.
My perception of this required task transformed as I began to see that it was a blessing to have time to shop in peace, to have money to buy local organic produce, to have a family for whom to purchase and prepare yummy food.
When I hear other mamas complaining about how they have to get to the grocery store, I offer guidance to shift their perspective and to allow themselves to feel inspired, not required as they move through their daily responsibilities.
Once we decide to enjoy something, we feel lighter, more free, and more aligned with that beautiful place inside of us that emanates love and kindness.
These days, my Sunday mornings are no longer a time for personal retreat for me. Now, they are something I anticipate with joy because I get to share my time with my little three year old daughter.
In recent months, we’ve been enjoying our Sunday date to the farmer’s market and Trader Joe’s. Now we take time for face painting, buying honey sticks, choosing flowers to brighten our home, tasting samples, dancing to the beautiful music of local artists, holding hands, and moving with ease and grace.
I look forward to each Sunday that I will share with my little angel. As our lives shift, I know that this too shall pass. Being aware of the ephemeral quality of life helps me stay present in this moment.
No matter what we must do, we always have a choice about how we move through our days.
I endeavor to choose love. To choose joy. To choose freedom and ease and grace.
I am overflowing with appreciation for this precious time.
I wholeheartedly believe that gratitude is the foundation of happiness.
And I believe we always have the choice to appreciate and to cultivate joy.
Are there any ways that you might infuse your life with more appreciation and joy?
And are there any tasks that you could transform from “chores” into rituals that feel free, joyful, and fulfilling?
Hoping you choose your path to feel more inspired each and every day.
Would love to hear from you in the comments: How do you make everyday life more fun?
With grace & so much love,
Denise
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Sophie Boselly. Business. Body. Bliss!
February 22, 2014
Denise, love this. The idea that things happen to us vs what we create through positive intention. Great suggestion on creating a weekly ritual for the supermarket or farmers market…to make it an enjoyable, positive experience! And yes, our positive experience runs over into others’ experiences! Great post, especially as I’m preparing for motherhood!
Denise Dare
February 22, 2014
Merci beau coup, Sophie! Definitely a brilliant practice to integrate now as you prepare to share your life with your lil’ angel. Wishing you so much love! 🙂