Joy Spotting is Sacred
10 days of Micro Moments (so far)
Let me read this to you:
As you all know, I've been paying attention to joy. If you're doing March's challenge with me, you're also doing the same. Ten days into this month, I am realizing more and more that I do not need the grand, sweeping kind of joy that announces itself with confetti and a drumroll. What's been cradling me in this practice has been the quiet, unassuming moments that ask only to be noticed.
Like the delicateness of baby's breath flowers in my arrangements last week. Or the way my middle daughter giggled, showing me her french fry mustache.
And the breeze from the water on my hike last week that kissed my face gently. All of those sweet, tiny moments in time are the ones that have left lasting impressions on my heart—on my life.
And, of course, my daily matcha—because always...
Joy-spotting is a practice in presence. I've said this before, but it truly is an invitation to the present moment. For me, it's been a coming home. It's a reminder that I can find joy when I'm sad, angry, unsure, grieving, and anything else in between. Joy, for me, is a prayer. A beacon of light, hope, and victory. It's a devotion to life's smallest offerings, a gentle rebellion against the urgency of doing—an extended hand welcoming me over the threshold of my own life and doing it in moments that ask me to be fully where I am. This writing practice has been a sweet reminder to lean in and look closely.
We live in a society [as you know] that constantly pushes us to strive, hustle, and prove our worthiness to even have joy in the first place. Releasing that is a rebellion. I encourage you: Stand steady in your joy. Joy journaling has invited me to pause, see, and (to be honest) to receive. It reminds me that delight isn't something to chase—it's something to witness.
I love this practice because it shifts my relationship with time. So, instead of rushing through the day, I try to move through it like a student, listening, learning, and leaning in—collecting tiny treasures of awe.
When I am faithful to noticing, my heart softens.
The edges of the world blur into something a little more kind. Even in seasons of sorrow, joy peeks through—persistent, patient—it's waiting for my gaze. That feels nice to pay attention to.
Gentle Reminder: Joy-spotting is sacred because it reminds us that we are living. That beauty is still here, still happening. Even in the most ordinary days, grace lingers in the details. All we have to do is look.
How's this practice going for you all? Leave your joy lessons in the comments.
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I love this. The words you chose, like devotion, remind me that this is a practice. Every morning my cat & I cuddle in bed, her on my crossed legs. It is our routine, but this morning, as I held her, breathing in her softness, I was really fully there with her purrs, her peace & ease. What a gift to start each day like this. I'm challenged to stay consistent, but I love this. 🐈⬛🐾🖤
I picked up this practice after reading your recent post about it. I've been loving it so much and it's absolutely making me more present to the many little moments throughout the day. It's helped me to realize that gratitude doesn't have to be about trying to come up with things I'm thankful for, but it's about noticing more of the moments that make up my life. And noticing how wonderful so many of those moments are, even the small ones that would otherwise probably escape my notice if I wasn't trying to actively pay more attention.