Life’s pretty funny when you look closely. The whole idea for this blog came from my Mom and I reminiscing on the many humorous stories I have from my stomach issues. Should these tales be funny? Probably not. Most people, after hearing how I continuously have stomach trouble, often related to certain foods, would tell me to either stop eating certain things or would feel bad for me. And sure, constantly having an upset stomach or sending my GI tract into distress isn’t funny. To me, it’s the frequency and the circumstances of these episodes that I find particularly humorous.
I had a running list of places I’d been sick by the time I graduated high school, a list that I still keep and mentally update whenever a new place has been added. Eventually, this list became a running joke to me and my family. I would recount it to my friends and watch as they either recoiled in horror at how well I remembered things or laugh along with me at the absurdity of it all.
This list is part of the reason I started Find the Joy. I figured if I, a perpetual pessimist, can find the joy in something that, frankly, should not be joyous in the slightest, I may be able to help others do the same. The idea quickly evolved into a more complex one, aimed at helping people find the joy in not just “tales of woe,” as I’ve labeled my bathroom horror stories, but also in everyday tasks. Sure, I won’t be able to help you learn how to file your taxes (something I myself need to learn yet), but I hope that I’ll be able to take some of the pain away from things like folding your laundry or writing your rent check. Hopefully, I’ll be able to accomplish this with a significant amount of humor, too.
The biggest reason I started Finding Joy with Susan, however, is my overall perspective in life. I’ve never been a particularly optimistic person and finding the joy in many situations is often difficult for me. This blog is a way for me to reflect on the things that happen to me that may not seem particularly happy or fun. I hope that this reflection will help improve my outlook on life.
Additionally, I enjoy helping other people. It sounds cliché, I know. People talk about the warm, fuzzy feelings they get by helping others. I get those feelings too. So, if even one of these posts brings a smile to your face, great! I’ve succeeded in bringing a little bit of joy into your life. I hope to continue to provide those smiles and, in return, smile myself a little bit more.
Sometimes when the world seems bleak or boring, we need to change our perspective. Sometimes, we need to actively find the joy in a situation.