I am currently enjoying a one-month sabbatical from work. People asked me what my plans were, expecting travel, perhaps Europe or at the very least Hawaii? I, on the other hand, chose to spend all of it at home, “puttering around” as I call it. I like to live a life I don’t need a vacation from. Part of it is because I have arranged my life to suit me, but the other equally important part is that I have arranged myself to suit my life and the people in it. I live a joyful and deeply fulfilling life full of adventure, all of it right here in my home and my community. In this world of distraction, where “fun” seems to always be elsewhere, I want to offer an alternative lifestyle that helps us connect more deeply with ourselves and our communities.
Why now?
Because we all deserve more and we can do better.
We are here on this earth for a brief time, and we each have this amazing ability and deep desire to experience, introspect, create, share and much more. We want to be challenged, we want to be seen, we want to be connected to other people. And yet, so much of our life is spent doing someone else’s bidding, knowingly and increasingly unknowingly, and not enough time to seek what our heart truly desires. We are so distracted by all of capitalism’s shiny neon signs that we barely have an opportunity to reflect on our mission let alone connect deeply with it. We are collectively depressed, and no Amazon delivery or subscription service can cure that. We all deserve more and we can do better, for ourselves and for each other.
Because joy is a political statement.
It is the second week after the elections. There is a lot of sadness for the loss of the American ideals. There is fear and anxiety about what the future holds, for ourselves and for the most vulnerable among us. I won’t lie when I say that this election feels like a personal attack against my body. You know what, though? There is a kind of mad defiance that comes when cornered. The best resistance is to not let them dim our light. This is not the end of the story, this is only the beginning of a new chapter in which we will have a new role to play, one we didn’t think we were equal to. We are here for it, but first we must fill our cup with joy, because, now more than ever, joy is a political statement.
What to expect
I plan to do bi-monthly posts on lifestyle, how-to guides, research compilations, recommendations and general ramblings – all in service of more joy in our lives.
Let’s get our hands dirty!
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