A Dash of Joy
I recently switched from regular coffee to mushroom coffee. Supposedly, this blend has many health benefits including supported immunity and brain function. And I need all the help I can get with brain function! Like regular coffee, I need to add creamer and sweetener to fully enjoy the experience. With the right amount of caramel-macchiato-flavored creamer, my daily morning cup of mushroom joe has become a treasured part of my morning routine. Typical and mundane, perhaps, but treasured nonetheless. Stick with me, this has a point.
Last week, I added a dash of cinnamon to my cup.
And with that dash, the skies opened up! Rainbows and angels danced around my head. Small woodland creatures appeared at my window to serenade a sweet morning song. Really!
Well, at least that’s the way I felt about it. That one small dash of cinnamon turned my typical, mundane, routine mushroom coffee into a more joyful experience. It added a little bang, a little extra something special. It made a difference!
I was so thrilled with the outcome, I told my husband how delightful the newly improved version of my coffee was. I sent a Marco Polo to my dearest friend to tell her all about it! I even explained the whole discovery to my youngest daughter, who appropriately rolled her eyes. Maybe someday she’ll get it.
But it got me thinking. The dash of cinnamon was such a small thing. It was the tiniest adjustment that added great joy to my morning—joy I had to share! I started to wonder what other small, tiny adjustments could I make throughout the day to boost my joy.
If you’re anything like me, parenting children with mental illness can be draining. Sometimes I find myself struggling with compassion fatigue when the next episode dysregulates the peace of our home. Sometimes I start to feel hopeless and have to rally with the Lord and His Word to give me the sustenance to walk out of my bedroom door and face the issues. And, sometimes, I have found my ability to sustain joy difficult.
For me, sustaining joy is not a natural talent or inherent gifting. I must work at it. I understand that the Lord desires this fruit in my life, but He did not create me with the ingrained inclination to easily grasp it. For me, exercising joy is like exercising muscle—difficult, strenuous, and very satisfying once it’s over. I find that I have to fight for it and defend it.
I have decided to actively search for the daily dashes of cinnamon—those minute adjustments to support joy. Here are a few ideas:
Listen to a favorite song in the morning to set the mood. Did you ever feel down listening to “Walking on Sunshine” by Katrina and the Waves? Impossible!
Secret stash of chocolate . . . don’t judge.
Taking an extra-long shower with a favorite body wash. A little pampering goes a long way!
Making the time to check in with a friend; schedule even short conversations. It doesn’t take long to offer and receive encouragement.
Breaks. It’s ok to walk away and regroup in another room alone.
Lighting a candle or having a small bouquet of flowers in the main living space where I can see it.
Like I said, this doesn’t come naturally to me. Come alongside me and share your ideas. Like the brain function boost in my mushroom coffee, I need all the help I can get! What is your dash?
Are you a Christian parenting an individual with mental illness? Join the Eleventh Willow private Facebook support group to meet other parents who understand. Let’s help each other walk this path.
Image by Ирина Мищенко from Pixabay
