Greetings and welcome to the Why Struggle Podcast.
I'm your host,
Barbara J.
Faison,
And my intention with this podcast is to offer ideas,
Insights,
And inspirations so you can live life better.
Greetings and welcome to 2024 Week 24.
Feeling Joy.
This is a podcast about feeling joy.
Joy.
A few definitions include a source or cause of delight and a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.
When was the last time you experienced joy?
I recently thought about what brings me joy now at this age and stage of my life.
Sometimes it's as simple as sitting in a park near a lake.
Or going to my monthly crochet group learning a new stitch.
Enjoying a belly laugh with a dear friend while having a regular conversation on the phone.
Sometimes joy is going out dancing with my salsa dancing crew.
I always have a great time with them.
On Saturday evening,
I went to a surprise birthday party for Anana Harris Paris.
I met Anana over 25 years ago while out salsa dancing.
An author and the founder of the Self-Care Agency and Sister Care Alliance organizations,
Her focus is self-care as a form of social justice and social justice as a form of self-care.
She conducts workshops and programs and is constantly helping others.
I call her amazing,
Awesome,
Anana.
When I got the invite for the surprise party,
I was curious how they could pull off a surprise for this dynamo who already had a 5k planned and was teaching a dance class earlier that day.
Here's what they did.
Two of her friends were in town and they told her they had dinner reservations but they wanted to see her new office space before they went.
It was a perfect way to get her to the party.
When Anana walked off the elevators into the office lobby,
She saw a host of family and friends greeting her for the surprise.
Mission accomplished.
The joy on Anana's face was priceless.
We went up to the office and Anana was greeted with African drumming and we continued the celebration with a combination of salsa music,
House music,
And more.
Anana has a joyful laugh and energy and when she starts to dance,
That energy radiates to anyone around.
I not only felt joy for myself,
I felt joy watching everyone else enjoy themselves.
We had great food,
Fun,
And fellowship.
I am grateful I really took the time to cherish the experience.
Joy can be experienced whenever and wherever.
I don't know about you but as I continue to get older,
The little times of joy are even more important.
We're always creating memories.
I want to create more joy-filled memories.
The present moment creates our future history.
It's essential to be fully present and to savor these moments.
Listening to my salsa playlist brings me joy.
Hanging out with my crochet group brings me joy.
Laughing and enjoying times with my friends brings me joy.
Taking a day trip or watching a movie with my husband brings me joy.
What's bringing you joy right now?
Leave a comment wherever you're listening to this podcast.
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