joy: week 28

letting it all happen, mixed media, a breakthrough

It is 6am and I am writing this from my sister’s house in Rhode Island. We’re here for a sisters weekend and I am having such a wonderful time playing cards, watching movies, and just spending time with Lisa and her family. One of the top three joys in my life is coming here, and it’s even better this time of year because the foliage on 95 is spectacular, so even the ride here is delightful.

This past week was a bit of a blur. I’m finding that retirement means you never know what day of the week it is. Monday? Friday? Does it matter? Just for taking the garbage out, it does. Otherwise the days just blend into each other and when it gets to feel like that I fall into sort of a fugue state, where I get up on Monday morning and suddenly it’s Friday and I have no recollection of doing anything but watching movies. It makes time go by very fast, which is not something I want time to do.

So did I stop and smell the roses this week? Not really. Did I find joy? Well, the funny thing about that is despite not really doing anything special, I was in a fantastic mood all week. Most of my joy was of the non-specific type and I think I can attribute that to Tuesday morning’s therapy session. I experienced a major emotional breakthrough, which led to a conversation years in the making, which led to forgiveness, a relieving of burdens, and a fresh start (this is not about my ex). It was a huge deal for me and it really carried me throughout the week.

As far as material things that made me happy this week goes, it was a great music week. Two of my favorite bands - the Mountain Goats and Taking Back Sunday - put out new albums and they have both exceeded my expectations. Best effort by both bands in years. It makes me truly happy when my favorite artists succeed in making great music and to see the good reviews roll in makes me weirdly proud.

I also watched a bunch of movies this week including some Hallmark Christmas movies as well as the first two Hotel Transylvania films. Then there was this trio of silly movies. I love to watch films like this because they are a complete distraction. Nothing feels better than laughing at stupid jokes. This was my 100th+ type viewing of Army of Darkness and I love to recite the words along with the movie, which annoyed Jo-Anne who had never seen it before. It’s the perfect escapism movie.

I also realized there’s a certain breed of actor that I’ve come to love in my old age despite not liking them in the past. Jack Black, Martin Short, Adam Sandler. I’ve come to appreciate their specific talents and the way they make me laugh.

I’m going to head to the best bakery in Rhode Island in a little bit and get some pastries. Then I’m going to spend another day with my sisters. We are going to watch Barbie and carve pumpkins and play cards and probably nap at some point. I think I have finally learned how to let the joy happen, and how to soak it in.

Let me hear what brought you joy this week.