One of the habits I’ve cultivated to help live my best life is part of my daily journaling process. Doing a daily review each night and answering the following questions helps me keep finding the joy in my habits:
- What went well today?
- What did I learn today?
- How do I want to feel tomorrow?
- What joy did I take in my habits today?
Last week I made a promise to myself that I would do all of my training runs leading up to the Seattle Rock ‘N’ Roll Half Marathon, no matter what. My running days are Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, and today I had to do a cooking demo in the city. (I live in the suburbs of Chicago and don’t get into the city as much I would like to.)
Keeping my promises
I had to keep my promise to myself and get my run in. My day started super early so I could prep for the demo and have enough time to make it downtown in time. Chicago traffic is no joke, y’all. I normally run in the morning but would have had to run at 4 a.m. today. So, yeah, no. That wasn’t happening. My demo would be done around 1 p.m., so I just brought my running stuff with me and decided to run in my beloved city. I lived in the city for 10 years and worked there for 17 and still long for city life. I love my little house and the little town I live in now. But I’m a city girl at heart and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. Then more inspiration hit and I decided to run at Lincoln Park Zoo, an iconic Chicago treasure (and FREE!).
Well, my demo lasted longer than I expected because it was at a place I used to work. I still have a lot of friends who work there, so I spent a lot of time catching up. By the time I got to my car, I was getting nervous about time and getting stuck in horrible traffic heading home. For a frame of reference, I live 35 miles from downtown and it has taken me as long as 3 hours to get home on a bad commute day.
Finding the joy in running
I called my husband and said I was going to bag it and just go to the gym because I was worried about the time. He encouraged me to stay and do my run at the zoo, reminding me how sad I would be if I didn’t do it and that everything would be fine at home. Bless him. So I went and I had the best run. My pace was horrible, but I got to see all of my favorite animals and, I shit you not, the male lion ROARED at the top of his lungs as I ran by. It was a scene out of a movie. I, of course, stopped and listened and spent the next hour running a little, stopping and admiring these gorgeous creatures a little, and I was filled with pure joy.
I mean, ALL of the gorillas were out, even the baby, playing and eating grass. It was magical. And I swear the giraffe came over just to say hi to me. And the pink flamingos. Oh, the pink flamingos. They are my faves! They are so happy! And pink! I swear my Patronus is a pink flamingo (sorry, non-Harry Potter fans).
So as I sit here doing my daily review, thinking about what JOY I took in my habits today, all I can think is, “thank God for running, because without it, I never would have had this amazing day.”
Where are you finding the joy in your habits today?
See you on the path,
Jen
