Anticipatory Joy

 

Lupine at my favorite local nursery

I recently attended a lecture given by a nurse at our local teaching hospital. If anyone is qualified to talk about stress and tips for coping, it's healthcare staff. She told us that anticipatory joy is what gets her through long, emotionally difficult shifts. 

Anticipatory joy is defined in the linked article as "the in-the-moment pleasure experienced when imagining a future event". Through anticipatory joy "We can find joy in the present through luscious ruminations over wonderful things to come. Anticipatory joy can bring light to the dreary present."

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In Seattle, our first week of May saw more rain than we normally get in a month. My husband joked that we'd need a boating license to get to the post office. It was wet and so very dreary. Every soggy day I looked forward to that first trip of the year to my favorite nursery. 

Photo by Oriol Portell on Unsplash

On the long-awaited day the skies even cleared as I searched for herb and vegetable starts on the list I'd curated over the winter. It's still too cold to plant the honeydew melons that I most anticipate, but I've got them started indoors and have pored over tips to help me have a successful crop.
 

Another joy awaiting me this month is an online class "Tending Your Medicinal Garden". While I'm wildly successful with the many herbs I grow, I'm eager to learn about the healing benefits of native plants and which ones I might add to the garden. Or maybe I can seek them out in the yard, thinking once that they were only weeds.

 

The heavy clouds that are soaking us this month have one silver lining-- the mountain snowpack has raised from 80% of normal to 126%. I expect a hot summer if climate change continues our dry spells and will be grateful for the snow and rains. Soon, I look forward to a few days off to spend in the yard and garden. Until then, like the wild bunny in our backyard, I eagerly await the first fruit of the season, strawberries.

 

 

Welcome, Bluebird ~ by Marj Ivancic

Photo: IndianaAudubonSociety

I enjoy learning about the origins of things, especially quirky phrases. And so, as winter gives way to spring, and I sit here watching a pair of bluebirds build a nest in their house at the back of the yard, it seems like a perfect time to go looking into the story behind their title as the harbingers of happiness.

Like most idioms, there does not appear to be one, agreed upon source for the saying, “bluebird of happiness.” Google returns results of their presence and influence across the globe and across the span of time, from the Shang Dynasty of China of the second millennium BC to the Navaho, Pueblo, and Iroquois cultures of the Americas. Though these myths and stories vary, the bluebird commonly represents knowledge, hope, and prosperity.

But nowhere in anything I read did I find the answer to the question—Why?

Why the bluebird? Why not the chickadee? Or a goldfinch? What is it about the bluebird that evokes joy and makes people feel as though God, Nature, and/or the Universe is speaking directly to them?

Since the creators of the legends are long gone, I have no one to put those questions to…so, I think that means I’m free to make up my own answer, right?  Well, here goes.

The first thing that comes to mind is a bit obvious—their coloring. In a forest crowded with browns and blacks, whites and greens, their azure hue is rather startling and unique. Not only that, blue is a primary color, one of the elementals from which other colors are born. It has been associated with positivity and calm all on its own. Who doesn’t look upon a cloudless blue sky and breathe a cleansing sigh of “Ah”? 

Photo: Sciencesource.ccom

But, interestingly enough, bluebird feathers aren’t actually blue. That beautiful coloring is an optical illusion of light waves and proteins. So perhaps it was that bit of magic that drew the bards and poets to these birds when they sought characters for their tales of enchantment and charm?

The second reason I’ve come up with is timing. Where I live, bluebirds appear as the world wakes from winter’s slumber. It is a time of birth and hope. The earth is rich and dark. The promise of good weather and fruitful crops sings on the warming breeze. Spying that bit of blue fluttering through the leafless trees is a trumpet call, hailing in the Queen of Seasons—Spring. It is our cue to crawl out of our mental and emotional hibernation and to celebrate living once again.

However, even as I write out these theories, I am wholly aware that

Photo: VectorStock.com

the reason “why” doesn’t really matter. What matters is that we continue to look for signs of hope, reminders to be joyful, evidence that we are loved and blessed. And to look for them every day, in all kinds of weather, in all places. 

Whatever form it takes for you—bluebirds, Bible verses, a song, a loved one’s voice—may you have what you need to continue to believe in a better tomorrow and in the possibility of good!

Recipe of the Month ~ by Grace Augustine

So, it's two days before the BIG day. Two days before you must

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have those cookies on the plate for Santa. Two days before family and friends arrive. Two days of cleaning, decorating, and BAKING!

If you're like me, I always leave the latter for last. When I was in my 30's I looked forward to this time of year. I'd put plates of goodies together for neighbors, my mechanic, the mail people, just about anyone in my life I wanted to thank for their help and service throughout the year.

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Over the past 40 years, I've gathered many tried and true traditional goodies. I'm sure you all have your family favorites, too. Whether it is Grandma's Gingerbread, Aunt Nellie's Snowballs, or Pete's Tom and Jerry mix, we all bring our best when it comes to Christmas treats.

One of my favorites to bake is cranberry nut bread--so convenient to put in the baby loaf pans, wrap in plastic, choose a fancy ribbon and tie a bow. The recipe is below.

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Remember to take time for yourself, put on some holiday tunes and sing-a-long, but most of all  remember the reason for this season. From my home to yours, I wish you many blessings. See you in 2020

Merry Christmas!

Cranberry Nut Bread

2-1/2 C non-self-rising flour

1 C granulated sugar

3-1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp grated orange peel

3Tbsp cooking oil

1/2 C milk

3/4 C orange juice

1 egg

1 C finely chopped walnuts 

1 C chopped fresh cranberries

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Grease and flour a 9 x 5 x 3 loaf pan or two 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 x 2-1/2, or 4-6 baby loaf pans.

3. Measure all ingredients into large mixer bowl.

4. Beat on medium speed for 30 seconds.

5. Pour into pans.

6. Bake for 55 to 65 min. or until inserted wooden pick in center comes out clean.

7. Cool 5 min. before removing from pans to cooling rack.

8. Cool thoroughly before serving.

VARIATIONS:

Date Nut Bread: Omit orange peel, orange juice, and cranberries. Increase milk to 1-1/4 C. and add 1 C. chopped dates.

Apricot Nut Bread: Substitute apricots for cranberries.

The Hope of a Bird's Song ~ by Marj Ivancic

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I heard a bird sing

In the dark of December.

A magical thing

And sweet to remember.

We are nearer to Spring 

Than we were in September,

I heard a bird sing

In the dark of December.

This poem by Oliver Hereford is one of my favorites. It’s a simple verse, but its eight lines are full of instruction and hope.

Be in the moment, it says to me.

Listen with your heart, not your ears.

Take the time to soak up the joy of life, the wonder that resides in all the small, seemingly inconsequential things in our lives that we take for granted.

The purr of a cat. 

Your loved one’s voice. 

A warm bed on a cold night. 

A glass of good bourbon. 

The moon.

Savor these things. Roll about in them. Commit them to memory. Wear them like a charm about your neck. They will ward off the shadows and comfort you through the long night. 

But should you stumble and lose your way in the darkness,

remember that the light is not so very far away. Spring sits on the other side of winter. Morning cannot happen without night. If you keep moving forward, you will come out on the other end of things. Life is a wheel, rolling. Sometimes we are on its downturn, others on the upswing. The trick is to hold on and not let go.

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I dedicate this post to The Unbreakable Girl. 

I cannot read this poem without thinking of you.

Daily Joy ~ by Kristine Raymond

That's a difficult concept for me sometimes.  Daily Joy.  When things in my life aren't going well, finding anything to be joyful about on any given day is often a challenging prospect.  Oh, I have a lot to be thankful for - my husband, my fur babies, my family and friends, the roof over my head and food to eat, decent health.  Not a day goes by that I don't count my blessings for what I have, but appreciation is not the same as joy.

According to the Oxford Dictionary, the definition of joy (noun) is "A feeling of great pleasure and happiness."  Sounds simple enough, but I've had days where that feeling's been as elusive as a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.  On those days, a bit of effort is required on my part but when I slow down, take a breath, and become cognizant of the world around me, I never fail to find what I'm searching for.
 
As I'm typing this, a white-throated sparrow is singing outside of my window, it's call clear and pure, the sound filling me with happiness.  Ahhh...that elusive joy. 

For those times when nature fails to uplift my spirits, I turn to one of my cherished books, Daily Joy - 365 Days of Inspiration.
  

This volume sits on my desk, my favorite pages marked.  Like this one - "Let the beauty of what you love be what you do." ~ Rumi.  How could those words not fill one's soul with pleasure?

It doesn't take money to be joyful or require a huge investment of time.  Joy is all around us if we just take a moment to recognize it.  A baby's gurgling laugh.  The soft rumbling of a cat's purr.  Our dog's wagging tail telling us he's delighted we're home.  That first sip of tea (or coffee).  A bird's song.  A fragrant bloom.  Spring leaves rustling in the wind.  The opening notes of our favorite song.

The list could go on forever, and mine would be different than yours because we all find joy - that feeling of great pleasure and happiness - in different ways.  The important thing is to take a moment - each day - to discover yours.

  
If you'd like to pick up your own copy of Daily Joy - 365 Days of Inspiration, you can get it here.