Finding the Joy Breaks

There are weeks when even in the first hour of work on Monday it feels like I should be the last hour on Friday. The Monday already feels long and the weekend looks like it will never come. This past week felt like this for both my hubby and I. Work just kept going and obstacles kept coming our way. When my hubby went into work Monday the whole crew was there, by the time Friday came he was the only one left in his department which meant he was the only one in the building. Everyone else either was sick or had someone in the family sick. It came to a point in which he placed a sign on the door saying the building would be closed and that people would need to call in to take care of their billing questions. True to his nature he found the “Joy Breaks” in the situation. First thing he made a sign saying “The building is closed due to us being short staffed, the meanies but the calculators on the top shelf”. He took everything in stride. He had time to get his job done, and help those who called in, all while listening to his favorite rock bands.

My week was almost a blur of constantly going. That is the nature of the beast when working the field I work. The start of my week was supporting a sweet couple through the difficult time of saying goodbye. In even this the joy that came from hearing their story made the task smoother. They had their beloved pet since puppy and he had reached the ripe old age of 16 years without many medical problems. Their pet had been there through college and beyond, even to the point of the couple starting their own family. It was a sweet time of memories as they said goodbye.

The rest of the week was spent helping other pets in need with the joy of driving through beautiful country sides to get to a clients homes, chatting with friends that I don’t get to see normally due to life happening, and getting home to my family each night. One night I had gotten home after a long day thinking I would sit and veg until bedtime. My plan failed and I am happy for it since my son came out from his room, grabbed a card game and ask “mom you wanna play?” Let me tell you I haven’t laughed that hard in a while. The game requires saying five certain words in an exact order while placing cards down with different pictures on them. If the word and the picture match the person who slaps the deck first wins the round and other person takes the pile of cared. Lets just say I really get into the game. My son tried to slap my hand whenever the game called for it but usually ended up with his hand getting slapped. The faces he made and the redness of his hand had me giggling. By the time we were done with the round I was crying because of laughing so hard (before you think of me as being mean, my hand was just as red and he was laughing too).

My week ended with another sweet family having to say goodbye to a beloved pet. After a long day at the clinic I needed to reset my brain to be there for them. When I left the weight of the day was heavy. I got home and my sweet family let me zone out, let me just be and unwind. It was what was needed and when I woke up the next morning I was ready to take on the world. I had a hard time finding the “Joy Break” until it was handed to me by my family when they allowed me to not be in the moment.

Joy breaks can be recognizing when a break is needed. Joy is found when your family is getting along. It can be found when a child asks you to play a game. It can be found in a good book. Joy is found when you realize your kids can do things on their own. My middle child announced yesterday that she would be trying a recipe out that would be making cookies like the “Lighthouse cookies” you find at the store. You know those cookies that are like sugar cookies with the frosting that are light and fluffy? I am so excited to try those out. Joy comes in having your youngest feeling better after a day of running a fever. Joy comes from your oldest getting over her fear and learning to drive. Joy comes from my sweet hubby taking pride in a project he just finished. We now have cupboards in our hallway that used to have a brick chimney behind the wall. Joy comes in laughing so hard tears come. Joy comes from helping make cookies know that you get to sample them afterwards.

When life tells you you need to be busy to feel accomplished that is when you answer back with “Joy Breaks”. That is when you need to step back and realize there is more to life than being busy. Not many people will look back on their lives and think “Wow! look at how good I was at being busy!” I for one know I will look back and remember the joy moments. Yes I will have a rewarding career because I have it now, but that won’t be where the joy comes from, it will be when I took time to be with the Lord, be with my family and friends and took time to be right with myself. How about you? What do you want to see? What “Joy Breaks have you found? Until next time:

The secret of The Muppets is they’re not very good at what they do.

Kermit is not a great host, Fozzie is not a good comedian, Miss Piggy is not a great singer…Like, none of them are actually good at it, but they love it.

And they’re like a family, and they like putting on the show. And they have joy.

And because of the joy, it doesn’t matter that they’re not good at it.

And that is like what we should all be. Muppets

Brett Goldstein