Finding Joy..in this Journey

I was going to title this post "Finding Joy.... in my Greek Vanilla Yogurt" since that's exactly what I'm eating right now and ohhh baby it is sooo good...but I think I've got a broader perspective to take on this subject. So here it goes.

Finding "joy" in the journey. What is joy? I'm not going to quote you some Webster's dictionary definition because a. I don't have one and b. I prefer to share my own thoughts since hey, it's my blog. To me, joy is peace. Contentment. Pure elation. Happiness without words to explain. When I feel joy, I feel love for my sweet husband, friends, family members and most especially, my Savior. He is the greatest source of joy in my life and I know that my pure happiness, all my small and insignificant moments of bliss, come from what He has given me. To me, that is joy.

Lately I've been struggling to find "joy" in this routine I've been living. It's been hard. This game of having to watch what I eat, count my calories and work out work out work out, is making me crazy! I never used to be like this. I used to eat whatever, whenever and work out maybe three times a week at a moderate pace. But that is also how I gained 15 pounds and hated what my body looked like every time I stood in front of the mirror. So I've made some changes. I've officially lost 10 pounds and at my lowest, I am four pounds away from my ULTIMATE weight goal. Seriously, that's nuts. I still can't believe its real, until now when I look into the mirror my work pants are loose and baggy and make no attempt to make my backside look bueno. But hey, I can deal.

So you're probably wondering WHY have I not been feeling all the joy in the world since I've lost weight? Well, to them you the truth, I think it's because I still feel guilt. I feel soooo guilty whenever I eat a sweet treat or go out and eat something completely on the naughty menu. But I'm working on it. Take for example yesterday. We had a fabulous summer party at our friend's house with cupcakes, cookies, peanut butter bars, coconut cake and more! It was sweet treat heaven! So what did I do? I tried a little bit of each of course! Ok, maybe not of everything... but at least more than my three max limit! So as we all sat in the backyard together, underneath the shady tree, with the cool breeze blowing and the warm summer sun on our skins, I just thought to myself.... "give it a rest." In that moment, I felt JOY. I was happy! I had great friends in my company, a loving husband at my side and a Kneader's cream-filled fruit tart in my mouth. Life couldn't have been better. I didn't feel guilty because I chose not to. I've realized that in this whole weight loose journey there will be ups and downs (literally) and some wins and loses. During the week, I am generally spot on with my diet and do my best to walk awayyy from the mint brownies but on the weekends, I think it's okay to let my hair down and eat a cookie or two and not hyperventilate about it afterwards. I have found joy in this journey by learning how to relax and enjoy the simple moments life brings. Life is good, we should enjoy as much of it as possible, sweet treats (occasionally) included!

So here's to patience in the everyday routine of life, love in our relationships and finding joy in the journey. It is possible! Sometimes we just need to slow down, eat a fruit tart and make it to the next day.

And if you haven't seen this yet, watch it. It will change your life.

//xoxox