Where does joy come in?
a question to guide this long Winter
I recently read a question in a book that completely stopped me.
I had to write it down.
The question was simple:
“Where does joy come in?”
It appeared in the context of architecture. When approaching a project, this question becomes a guiding light. Where does joy enter the design? Where does it surprise? Where does it delight?
I loved it immediately, especially when I think about my own home. I love adding small moments of joy. Sometimes they are practical. Sometimes playful. Sometimes just for me. A lamp I love. A chair by a window. A detail no one else may ever notice.
But as I journaled about the question, it began to take on a bigger meaning.
This has been one of the oddest seasons of my life. Midlife has arrived with a quiet sense of disorientation. At times, I feel purposeless and untethered. Winter has not helped. The cold, the gray, the slowing down. If I am honest, it has been a fairly joyless stretch.
So today, I decided to make this question my guide, not for a project, but for my days.
Where does joy come in?
Each morning, I want to ask it and then look for small ways to answer it. Not grand gestures. Not forced happiness. Just simple additions. A walk. Music while making dinner. Getting dressed in a way that feels like myself. Letting beauty interrupt the day.
Maybe this becomes a series. Maybe it is just a quiet practice for now. We will see.
But I would love to know:
Where does joy come in for you?
xx Priscila
p.s.: today’s purposeful joy moment came from jamming to this Wilson Philipps song at carpool lol.
If this newsletter brings you joy, would you take a second and like it? It helps me more than you think!
Little moments of joy in my closet and beauty routine:
2 Saving my skin, I spritz it every time I come back from being outside
3 Been living in this one
Highs and Lows
High: We are back to school this week and it feels good to be back in a routine! I thrive on a full schedule and I am grateful to have passed through the ice storm without losing power.
The kids thrived in this snow, they build ice walls, went sledding with friends and shoveled our elderly neighbor’s driveway.
Going to an estate sale with my friends and grabbing a coffee later after a week of ice/snow? Yes, please. They did have to come bail me out of my neighborhood because our roads were so bad.
Low: I’ve alluded at the top but Winter hits me hard. Every year I go in bright eyed and full of hope that this time will be different. It never is. Lol. But hey the days are getting longer and hopefully soon, a little warmer. Meanwhile, thermal underwear and my electric blanket are my most trusted companions.
I’m launching my Style words and Style Edit series to paid subscribers this month! Stay tuned for more.
Wearing pops of red to fight the Winter blues has been a way Joy has come in for me lately!
What a great question, sometimes joy is loud but most of the time is requires our attention to notice it! Gosh the Old Navy denim shirt is SO GOOD, I have it in two colors and it stacks up against much more expensive options!