Savouring life's little joys...

Dear September,

This is the one where we talk about the importance of savouring life's little joys…

It is no secret that we live in extremely difficult times. Between the economic crisis and terrorist attacks happening every other day, and just dealing with our own personal struggles, it is often quite difficult to find reasons to be happy. It may seem counterintuitive, but this is the exact reason why we should try our very best to be happy and savour life's little joys. 

According to the Oxford dictionary, the word "savour" means to enjoy or appreciate something pleasant to the full. In this context, this essentially means making a conscious effort to be aware of the good moments in our lives. I think it is good to remind ourselves to do this because we too often focus on preventing or fixing the bad moments that we become immune and totally oblivious to the good ones. 

So, here are a few ways to recognize and savour the good moments when they do happen.

        1) Pray

I'm a Christian and I love it. My faith always keeps me centred and at peace. Praying especially teaches you how to be patient and be expectant of good things. Praying brings a certain peace that cannot be shaken. It turns your focus away for a moment, from what you haven't done to what you have done, and what you have to be grateful for. Trust me, it works... 

              2)   Keep a diary

A diary is a personal record. It forces you to not ignore the good and positive in your life. It helps you truly realize that things are never as bad as they seem. A diary helps you stay aware of the fact that one bad day doesn't mean you have a bad life. 

            3)   Surround yourself with positive people

This is extremely difficult to do, especially because the conditions in society today force one to pay attention to the negative. And there's enough of that to fill our thoughts and our conversation. This is why it is extremely important for you to surround yourself with people who will always point out the silver lining in every situation. Being optimistic isn't ignoring the bad and the ugly; it is being confident and hopeful despite them.

            4)   Smile

It seems minute and meaningless but it works. Very often, we mope around and sulk over situations that are completely out of our control and this is an absolute waste of time. I know we do not always have control over the way we feel and it is alright to be sad but we also have the power to smile and choose to keep a positive outlook. Sometimes, we also feel overwhelmed by life but it is in those moments that wearing a huge grin is extremely important. Smiling is a way to reassure yourself, a way to remind yourself that you are a warrior and you have no time for excuses. When good things happen as well, smile. Enjoy these moments too and remember to celebrate the little victories. Give yourself credit for a job well done. This is not being pompous or arrogant, it is recognizing that you put a lot of effort into accomplishing said task and you are proud of yourself for that and that is ok.

5)   Do what will make you happy in the long run

Often, people say do what makes you happy. Often also we hear it but we don't assimilate it. We recognize that we do not always have the luxury of doing whatever will makes us happy at that very moment. I am student right now and what I think will make me happy will be to wake up whenever I want, write all day and go back to bed. Oo, squeeze in a few television shows here and there. But I recognize that this is not a plausible routine, so I often put what makes me happy on the back burner or at least I think I do. I often forget that what will truly make me happy isn't lots of sleep and watching televisions shows all day. It is actually being able to be financially independent and building a solid foundation for my future. Being able to afford anything I want, and being able to fully provide for my family. And to be able to do this, I have to sacrifice and give up play time. So actually doing what makes me happy, is studying and writing as much as possible not sleeping and watching television shows all day. So it is a joy and a privilege to learn and be inspired to write. Finding and savouring life's little joys is all about perspective. 

If you are able to see the glass half full and not half empty, there would be many more little joys in your life to savour. If you are able to keep track and be aware of and be present in the good moments, you will realize that your life is much better than it seems. We are all more blessed and fortunate than we know.

So my dear September, be conscious of the fact that there is always someone who has it way worse than you do. This is not to say that you should be satisfied with where you are but this is just to say that our lives are a lot fuller than we know. I think once we realize that the real magic is in these seemingly little joys that come together to create a rich and colourful life, we can stop and smell the roses. We can stop trying to achieve these huge inconspicuous, undefined moments of joy and truly enjoy the precious little moments we already share. 

                                                                                                            X o x o,

                                                                                                                        Nini