enJOYing

Sometimes I wonder why it took me so long to learn how to enjoy life. I can't claim that I have it down pat, but I can say that this past year has yielded some long stretches of joyful days. I am beginning to learn really what it means to be joyful, and live a joyful life.

I get aggravated, often, by people who are close to me who let me down. But I am beginning to find that sometimes no matter what you do, you can't change people (which depresses me to no end) and sometimes you just have to move on. If they aren't willing to be friends with you, then why waste emotionally energy on them? Continue to be friends, but don't waste your time getting frustrated. I am still learning how to do that, and just learning how to do that has led to some better days.

When I was an "adolescent", I would write in my diary constantly about everything that made me excited, happy or whatever was bothering me. As a result, that made a lot of long entries. When I entered college, the entries diminished drastically. Not just because of time and life that sucked spare moments out of me, but I had few moments in my life that would have caused me to need to write in my diary before. I also found solace outside of my diary, in people, and I guess that was one step toward a more social being on my part. (Was I really that much of a loner in middle school and high school? Now that I think about it, did I really have friends?)

Now, I have little to write in my diary but blessings and joyful exclamations. I am happy, I am content, and it isn't because my life is struggle-free. It is because I am enjoying whatever comes my way. I hope that as I continue to learn more of what that means, that I will get even better at being joyful 24/7.