Project: JOY!

joie - alegria - الفرح - gioia - χαρά - радость - 喜悦

Joy.

Happiness? Contentment? Ecstasy? Appreciation?
An elusive emotion only experienced only by the hopelessly naive and mentally deranged?

dictionary.com defines it thus:
joy [joi] - noun
1. the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation
2. a source or cause of keen pleasure or delight; something or someone greatly valued or appreciated
3. the expression or display of glad feeling; festive gaiety (***my favorite**)
4. a state of happiness or felicity.


True 'dat. For reals, yo. :)
But truly what is it? And why does this world seem incapable of acknowledging its value, let alone it's very existance? We're all guilty of this, myself included. I get caught up in all of the shit, the sticky muck of everyday life and, before long, lose sight of the fact that my life is, more often than not, quite lovely.

It's New Years and, to many people, Resolution time. To be honest, I don't usually make resolutions because I seem to be unable to keep them. Lose 20 pounds? Yeah right. Stop procrastinating? Epic fail. Be rich and famous by next year? Riiiiiiiight.

This year, however, will be different.
Because this year, I will hold myself accountable to you, gentle audience.
My resolution is simple, really, so it shouldn't be too hard.

I am determined to spend this year finding JOY every day. In the little things, the big things, the epic, the minor infractions, everything. And then I'm going to write about it. It may be 2 words, it may be a paragraph, but it will be real and it will be true and it will... I don't know... keep me on track, I guess. I figure 365 days, 365 joys. Not a bad way to measure a year on this rock we like to call Earth.

And so, a complete year of JOY commences... right... NOW!

Day 1: January 4
I worked out today. I usually work out pretty regularly, but with Christmas and travel headaches and ... well, sheer laziness, I haven't worked out for a few weeks, but I did today. I went an hour on the eliptical at my $10/month gym and did some yoga-lates here at my house and I. Feel. Wonderful! Seriously, more clear headed than I have been in a long time.

I crack jokes about feeling bendy after yoga, but immature innuendos aside, I do feel more... bendy. Pliable. It's amazing and fairly weird, but even my brain feels more flexible. Gotta love those endorphines, seriously. I'm by no means a yogi or a workout queen and I'm not exactly what one would categorize as 'in good shape' but I'm on my way and I gotta say, I feel great.

Granted, it doesn't always feel like it, but today, I've gotta say it-
Exercise = JOY!