Welcome to the scariest thing I’ve ever done…embracing vulnerability. I coach people on it all of the time. I cheer them on. Jokes on me, now that it’s my turn.
But here are some things I believe when I encourage you to Catching Yourself Smiling.
- You will never smile, find joy, and have perfect well-being all of the time. But if you look for it and lean towards it, you will find it a lot more often.
- Once you start catching yourself smiling, you’ll find that you do it a lot. And you’ll start to seek those activities where you will find joy. Eventually, things that DON’T make you smile will start to fall away. Joy and happiness will be a larger fixture in your life.
- “Should” is a bad word. Anytime someone says, “You know what you should do,” I respond with “Whatever I want.” Ok, it may have some more expletives, but I am trying to make this website clean and not show my love of a well placed curse word.
- I believe with every fiber of my being that we are all on this earth for a reason. We have a skill, a gift, a craft, etc. that is meant for this world. As you are choosing your adventure, when you choose what is right for you (not what you should do), you will light up and find that smile all of the time. This is authenticity.
In the spring of 2021 I started my dream of camping around the United States. I was finally getting to visit Yosemite National Park. The mecca of National Parks if you are a parks lover and John Muir fan. I tend to fly by the seat of my pants when it comes to my travel plans, so I didn’t plan far enough in advance to get a camping spot in Yosemite. Instead I ended up at Spring Cove Campground on Bass Lake, a solid 40 minute drive into Yosemite. A commute into Yosemite, followed my the crazy amounts of driving once you are in the park, is ripe for anger and frustration.
It was during one of those commutes that I was grocery shopping when I heard a small child running down the grocery store aisle. Their laughter and pure joy spread through the store. Moments later I noticed my cheeks were hurting, a common feeling in recent months. I brought my hands up to my face and realized that I was smiling. The moment was meaningful enough that I started a list in my phone of moments where I caught myself smiling.
- 7/2/2021 – Walking towards Crescent Lake
- 7/12/2021 – Paddle boarding at Lake Elmo
- 7/16/2021 – Shopping at Albertsons
- 8/25/2021 – Driving to Yellowstone after I realized it was the National Parks 105th birthday
The list goes on and on…and I still add to it to remind myself what makes me smile, therefore brings me joy, therefore I need to do it more often.
Let’s address the elephant in the room…I’m not smiling all of the time. I’m not happy all of the time. I’m not joyful all of the time. But through this trip and realizing those things that do make me smile, I catch myself more often. And I intentionally put myself in those spaces when I’m feeling ick. If you look at my entire list, it’s clear that being in nature is a common theme, so when it’s been a while since I’ve felt joy, I make my way to nature.
I’m guessing a lot of these posts will happen in nature. Not only do I go to it to smile, I tend to also work a lot out while I’m there. The other week I was at a campsite and I felt like such an amateur. Nothing was working and I couldn’t rally from it. After about 24 hours of complete frustration, I went on a hike and realized I needed to pause and figure out what was really going on. After great contemplation and journaling (the tools that worked this time), I realized that I was putting a ton of pressure on myself to have a perfect camping experience when I had a new camper, hadn’t been out in ages, Tootsie (that’s my dog) was camping with me for only the 2nd time – a lot was going on. Those are probably the moments I need to come here and share with you, or post on our Instagram, and I will try to do that in the future. Show that vulnerability.
The list of where I’ve caught myself smiling is one of many tools I use to guide me along the way. And that’s what I hope Catch Yourself Smiling is for you. I want you to learn the importance of well-being, be convinced to start your own journey, and then just start. We are here to support the journey and hold space for the rollercoaster of things that will pop up along the way.
This is a good point to note that my journey has been filled with supporters – therapists, yoga instructors, friends, family, coaches, and more. If you need help, ask for it. We all love you and want to support you.
Thanks for coming along on this journey with me. Thanks for your love and support.
