Joy all year

Joy all year will be my new mantra. It took a while for it to dawn on me,  I like to believe the word found me, not the other way around. I was very inspired by Fiona's search for "Brave", her word for last year, and how it made her grow and learn. I wanted to have such a guideline for this year. Sure, I had kind of chosen Patience at the beginning of 2012, and perhaps, just perhaps I became a tiny bit more patient, albeit by force (though the boy still says I am the most impatient person that he knows). This year I want to make sure I will be happy. I made the decision to strive for it. I have come to realize (the hard way) that how I feel depends on me, solely on me. There will always be situations that are completely out of our control. But we do have the power, the control of how we react to those situations. And so I will continue on January Joy's mood and continue to search, chase and be aware of the little gems of joy that we can find everyday. After all, regardless of what the future has in store for us, we only have to live for today. And I can choose to be happy today. It's in my hands. It turns out Joy is also Fiona's word for this year (I asked and she totally agreed on it, too, being my compass for 2013). And I was also inspired by the fabulous Zoe, from Conversation pieces, and her argument that we should say "Happy all year" instead of "Happy new year" as we hug and kiss each other on New Years' Eve. So join me on this journey as I focus on finding Joy everywhere, on being present every moment.

*Image by pink polka dog.