Wishing You Joy

By Cathy

Joy . . . a word we hear quite often during the month of December. We wish each other a joyful season, we sing of joy, and we see the joy on children’s faces. But, what about the rest of the year? Do you actively seek joy when things don’t seem to be going right, when you’re hurting, or during bleak winter days?

What is joy anyway? Joy according to the web is “the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying.”  Synonyms for joy are delight, bliss, gladness, jubilance, and gaiety.

Joy is a pure physical sensation in our bodies. We jump for joy, we double over in laughter, and we squeal with delight. When we feel joy, we feel more confident, capable, and lovable. We feel good about ourselves.

I know how to find joy. All I need to do is spend time wandering in nature and seeking the unexpected. When I find something unusual, I am filled with joy. I smile, I giggle, or even laugh out loud. I’ve been known to do a little happy twirl now and then, too!

Let me show you some examples of nature that brought joy to my heart.

A little frog trying so hard to hide from me.

Red and green lichen, the colors of Christmas, found on an old piece of lumber.

Early morning frost.

And, the latest joyful find . . . a gnarled tree. I'm sure you're wondering why this tree trunk would bring me joy. Look at it again. It may only look like a gnarled tree to you, but to me it looks like the face of a camel and it made me laugh. Who knew I had camels in the woods behind my house!

I won't be be printing any of these pictures and putting them in frames. That's not why I took them. What I wanted was to record those little moments of joy. I didn't want to spoil that joyful moment setting up my tripod, fidgeting with the camera dials, concentrating on the right composure, or the right aperture to get the perfect background. There is no law of photography that says every picture must be taken on manual and must be perfect. If you think that, you might be taking the joy right out of your photography. Trust me, I know all about that! My pictures are for me and if an imperfect picture brings me joy or memories of joy, then I've accomplished what I'm seeking. In 2017 I will be printing my joy pictures and placing them in an album of joyful moments. It should be fun at the end of the year to look back through them.

As we end this year and look toward 2017

my wish for you is that you find what brings you joy

and that you seek joy every day.

Color The Holidays Beautiful

By Cathy

Here we are again. It’s the first of December and the holiday season is now officially in full swing. We’ve been bombarded with Christmas related advertising since October, but now it’s time to get serious. There is the gift list to make, shopping, buying, ordering, wrapping, decorating, card writing, cantatas, school programs, office parties, church parties, school parties, baking, cleaning, and trips to make. The list goes on and on and seems impossible to get done. I know we all have dreams of the perfect Christmas season. We want this to be the “hap – happiest time of the year.” When in reality so much is happening that our Christmas spirit can be stolen. If we’re not careful the season can become one of misery with tears, frazzled nerves, and frustration.

In all honesty, Christmas is what we make it. We can choose to be loving, generous, peaceful, and joyous. We just might need a little help to unwind each day. There are many suggestions on how to relax during the holidays  - listen to joyful music, drink a cup of hot chocolate, sit by the crackling fire, read holiday stories, take a nap, light candles, take a walk, or simply sit in the dark and gaze upon your beautiful Christmas tree. Keeping joy in the season means we must get rid of some of that stress and here's another idea that might help you relax.

COLORING!

Coloring allows us to switch off our brains from stressful times and focus only on the moment. MaryGrace Berberian, a certified art therapist and the Clinical Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator for the Graduate Art Therapy Program at NYU says, “coloring definitely has the therapeutic potential to reduce anxiety, create focus, or bring [about] more mindfulness.”

I have always loved to color. Some of my earliest memories involve coloring. I remember my mom coloring with me.  So, when coloring books came back into popularity, I had to have one. Well, honestly, I have more than one!

Here's what I like about coloring:

• There are no rules. Color the sky green and the grass blue. Color outside the lines. Scribble if you want to. The season is stressful, your coloring shouldn’t be.
• Coloring distracts and takes my mind off the busyness of this season. There is something so soothing about the rhythm of coloring.
• Supplies are readily available and fairly cheap. I have bought coloring books for as little as $1 or even found pages free online. Crayons, colored pencils, gel pens, watercolor pencils, or markers are pretty cheap, too.
• Small coloring books and pencils are portable. I can take them with me almost anywhere. I can color while I eat my lunch or while waiting for an appointment.
• I don't have to color for long periods of time. Just a few moments when I'm feeling stressed or at the end of the day.

(The coloring book on the left is a reproduction of a coloring book I had as a child.)

Coloring is a wonderful family tradition. When my daughter-in-law’s family gathers during the holidays they all color a page in Christmas coloring books Then they sign and date them. I think this is such a special tradition. Imagine sitting down each Christmas and looking back through those coloring books. Reliving the memories of special times with family. Maybe this year would be a good year to start the tradition in your family.

I could go on, but I think you really don’t have time to read a longer post and you get the picture. Coloring can bring relaxation and now is the time we need it!

I’ll end with a few links of free coloring book pages. I’m not endorsing any of them. I just did a Google search and found a few links with pretty pages. You can start coloring today. Just print one out, find some colors, and have fun.

http://freeprintableadultcoloringpages.com/free-coloring-pages-to-download

http://www.fabercastell.com/art-and-graphic/adult-coloring-books/coloring-pages-for-adults

The next two sites offer Christmas themed pages.

http://www.coloring-life.com/en/adult-coloring-pages-595-en-christmas.html

http://www.colorpagesformom.com/coloringpages/christmas/

If you become serious about your coloring, there are even magazines and web sites available with tutorials. My favorite coloring book artist is Johanna Basford. Check out here website, she has some good tutorials. Alisa Burke is another coloring book artist I like. She has an article with tips and tricks for using crayons.

Even if you don’t have any desire to color, I hope that you’ll find your own special way to make this the “happiest time of the year.”

* * * * *

One more thing before you leave. Today starts a new monthly photo focus. We’d love to see some celebratory bokeh on our Flickr page and IG stream. We all have favorite decorations and traditions so let’s bathe them in bokeh. After all, the is just about the most bokeh-licious season of all!

Happy Holidays!

A December List

by Terri

Several years ago, I wrote this post about focusing on joy during the holiday season. Writing that post really changed how I approach the holidays. I just went back and reread that post to remind myself what I want to focus on again this year -- the joy and beauty of it all.

Now that Thanksgiving is behind us, we go forward into the Christmas season full speed ahead and it’s hard not to get lost in all the hustle and bustle around us. When we lose focus then the Christmas season has the potential to become this crazy hectic want-to-pull-our-hair-out month where we breathe the sigh of relief that it is January. That isn’t what I want this month to be and I don’t think it is what you want either. 

What has helped me the most in the past few years is to focus on that “joy list” that I talked about in my post. This means making a list of the things that bring me the most joy and making sure I focus on those, letting other things take a back seat. I may get everything done, I may not, but at least those things that bring me the most joy are front and center and I make sure to give them priority.

So here’s my list of things that take priority over everything else – because they bring so much joy. Our “Porter girls’ shopping day” with my daughter-in-law and granddaughters is something on the top of my list.

Baking day with a friend is something we always make sure to schedule. We each make 3-4 different kinds of cookies and trade them. It’s always so much fun to get my baking done and spend time with her at the same time.

One of the things I do to make time for myself away from all the hustle and bustle is to work on my December Daily album a little each day. It seems crazy to take on this project right in the middle of the most hectic time of year but it calms me down and gives me the creative time I need and I love having all our Christmas memories from each year in a basket for us to go through during the holidays.

Another thing I make sure to take time for is playing with my camera. There is so much beauty this time of year that just HAS to be captured!

Here's a list I've made for myself this year. Maybe it will help you focus on what's important to you and what brings you joy:

1. Take time to slow down and appreciate the little things. Keep your eyes open for moments of magic.  
2. Baking makes a mess. It also makes memories.
3. Take some time out for yourself, even if it’s just a few moments a day. Have a cup of tea by the Christmas tree.
4. Even if life isn’t perfect, there can still be beautiful and joyful moments.
5. Know that there are going to be crowds and lines. Don’t be in a hurry. Just slow down and enjoy the holiday decorations and maybe even get to know that person in line with you. It will make the time go faster.
6. Spending time is so much more important than spending money.

  

So what are your “must dos” this holiday season? Whatever you choose to do, make sure it brings you joy. Wishing you a merry and joy-filled December!