Sofia Speaks

Pause 1
Turtles love to sun themselves on the pond logs of the Aquatic Garden. If the sun is out today, start your stroll by taking a few minutes to experience the same simple joy. Find a bright spot to stand or sit. Then close your eyes and concentrate on the sensation of the sunlight on your skin, warm and life-giving. What a miracle! Revel in the bright, quiet pleasure of this moment. (McCaffrey, Ruth DNP, FAAN. “Strolls for Well-Being at Brookside Gardens.”, Brookside Gardens, 2006, p. 90).

Journal Entry 1
No entry

Update to Journal Entry 1
It’s funny looking back at the journal prompts and reading them because I don’t remember doing this. However, I practice this often when I take my son to the park or watch him at baseball practice or his games. I sit on my blanket and bathe in the sunlight for as long as my body will physically allow me. Just yesterday at my son’s game, the weather was extremely hot, then a beautiful breeze came through with rolling clouds behind it. Then out of nowhere, rain began to fall, and it was beautiful. My body was already overheated from the strong sun rays just moments before. But the breeze. The breeze slowly gave me a gentle sweeping nude, and finally, out of nowhere, it began to rain. My body instantly cooled as the drops fell on my skin, cooling the parts of me that were overheated by the sun. Closing my eyes, I leaned my head back to allow the droplets dance on my face. I smiled and embraced this uniquely beautiful experience of the elements at work. 

Pause 2
Naturalist John Burroughs wrote, To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter… to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird’s nest or a wildflower in spring – these are some of the rewards of a simple life. How might you simplify your life ot better experience these uncomplicated yet exhilarating joys? (McCaffrey, Ruth DNP, FAAN. “Strolls for Well-Being at Brookside Gardens.”, Brookside Gardens, 2006, p. 90).

Journal Entry 2
I can simplify my life to better experience life’s simple joy by taking time to enjoy life. Not be super focused on obtaining a goal, but instead focus on making memories and spending time with loved ones.

Update to Journal Entry 2
I’m really at a place in my life where I want to learn as much as I can about the healing properties of nature. I find myself being fascinated by the small joys of life because I slow down to enjoy them. I want to learn and teach others how integrating nature into their daily life can help them slow down and enjoy the simplicity of life.

Pause 3
Like the sensation of the sunlight on your skin or fresh air in your lungs, joy is something we experience physically. Think of some of the joys of your life thus far: times when you felt a sense of meaning, moments when you laughed out loud. Close your eyes again and remember how joy felt in your body. These memories are yours to access whenever you need them. (McCaffrey, Ruth DNP, FAAN. “Strolls for Well-Being at Brookside Gardens.”, Brookside Gardens, 2006, p. 90).

Journal Entry 3
Some joys in my life thus far have been being a mom and having a family. Cooking vegan meals, finding new ways to have and present an amazing breakfast. Enjoying new restaurants, finding new food and things that I enjoy.

Update to Journal Entry 3
Some joys in my life currently are very closely aligned to what I wrote in my original entry. The only difference now is that I really am enjoying learning myself. I have the time and freedom to explore what brings me joy as an individual. I don’t think there has ever been a time in my life when I just had the leisure to stop and really reflect on who I am, what I truly enjoy and what brings me joy. I’ve been blessed to have the opportunity and space to find that for myself. Although what I wrote before was pretty spot on, I now want to share my joy and how I found it with others. I’m in a space of continuing to learn what joy is for me and allowing myself the space to find others aligned with the same vision. I would like to add that instead of having memories of joyful moments in my life, I actively pursue joy as a daily practice.

Pause 4
Social science research has shown that the words of Catholic monk David Steindl-Rast are true: It’s not joy that make us grateful, it’s gratitude that make us joyful. In thousands of interviews, individuals who practiced gratitude in a tangible way such as writing down or talking about what they appreciated, were more likely to describe themselves as joyful than those how did not. At the end of your last stroll, you committed to bringing gratitude into your daily routine. Have you started yet? Did Steindl-Rast’s words apply? (McCaffrey, Ruth DNP, FAAN. “Strolls for Well-Being at Brookside Gardens.”, Brookside Gardens, 2006, p. 91). 

Journal Entry 4
I honestly have not been practicing gratitude in my everyday however, I would like to start.

Update to Journal Entry 4
Re-reading the last few sentences of the Pause 3 I feel attacked. I did commit to bringing gratitude into my daily routine, and I have practiced gratitude, just not daily. I find that for me, my mornings are an adjustment period. I don’t like to think deeply about anything in the mornings. I really just like to be present with myself. So, although in my last blog post I mentioned that I could start my day by giving gratitude, it’s not realistic for me. Instead, I think I will take time in the evening and share that moment of gratitude with my son before bed. For me, it’s better to reflect on my day and really think about what I’m truly grateful for.

I’m really taking time to think about monk David Steindl-Rast’s words of it’s not joy that makes us grateful, it’s gratitude that makes us joyful. My interpretation of his words are the experience of joy does not make you grateful because joy is a feeling and feelings are fleeting. However, gratitude is a daily practice that can be embodied, and it’s in the present moment. So when you think about what you are thankful for (practicing gratitude), you then have an opportunity to embody and experience joy. Joy is an experience, whereas gratitude is the practice of being present. So if you want more joy in your life, you must be present in the mind of what brings you gratitude.   

Pause 5
Like a flower blooming among weeds, joy can exist in the midst of pain. Sometimes it is even rooted in pain, nourished by a struggle in which we have found meaning. Either way, it is our capacity for feeling hurt that also enables us to experience joy; as human rights activist Demond Tutu put it, We are fragile creatures, and it is from this weakness, not despite it, that we discover the possibility of true joy. Think about how your fragility and the experiences that seemed at the time to have broken you have also made joy possible. (McCaffrey, Ruth DNP, FAAN. “Strolls for Well-Being at Brookside Gardens.”, Brookside Gardens, 2006, p. 91).

Journal Entry 5
Being able to find happiness or joy in the midst of pain or hurt reminds me that there are still things to look forward to, even if the current time doesn’t feel that way.

Update to Journal Entry 5
To think of joy as a flower blooming amongst pain that is represented by weeds, all I can say is Damn… This is where the saying concert rose comes from. Finding beauty in the places where your mind doesn’t register it as belonging. My life story is literally a story of not letting obstacles hinder you from experiencing the joy of life.   

Pause 6
The potential for joy is always within us. When life is going well, joy feels easy and spontaneous, but when life is difficult, we may need to be more intentional. If joy does not come freely these days, what opportunities can you put in place to experience it more often? Like the wisteria on the bridge ot the Anderson Pavilion and the climbing red honeysuckle on the structure itself, joy blooms when we provide a foundation for it.

Journal Entry 6
Living in the moment, taking time to enjoy a meal or celebrating with family. Not taking moments for granted.

Update to Journal Entry 6
I have embedded practices of joy into my daily life. I have been very intentional about relearning what experiencing joy looks like to me. My son has helped me a lot with being present, unwinding and doing things in the moment. 

I really like the last sentence of joy blooming when we provide a foundation for it. From my experience, this is really true. I know joy because I have taken time to figure out what joy is for me. So when I’m in the hustle of everyday life, I can stop and marvel at the things in life I truly enjoy.