Recently I put together a group of photographs from moments (big and small) that made me happy in 2015. Friends and family coming by over the holidays was the impetus to finally sit and reflect on the year it had been. Anyone who has tried to put together a photo album after a trip knows that the digital age has made it harder than ever to narrow things down.
We take hundreds of photos on every trip and last year we visited places that inspired so many more than that.
From a kickoff like no other at Chateau Montebello in Quebec
to our sail with Avalon Waterways through Myanmar last month.
In the middle: A road trip across the Southern USA,
a trip to Indianapolis to take in the Final Four NCAA Championships and catch up with a friend or two,
and so much more.
Every single time we hit the road this year we came home smiling. There were bumps, there always are, but the net effect of heading out with the family and friends was always the same…Joy.
We smiled a lot in 2015. And we laughed until we cried often.
And isn’t that really the point of this one life we’ve got? To find the joy in the time we have and to relish it while we have it? I think so. 2016 has had a bumpy start for many of the people I love and hold dear. It has made it harder than usual to remain optimistic about the year ahead. But one look at these photos and so many more and you begin to realize that the real treasures are these moments – big or small – and the joy they bring.
because homework can wait.
It’s easy at this time of year to look forward; to make big, bold promises of what you intend to do. It’s the nature of the season and I do it too.
But I’d encourage you to also take some time to look back. Think about what brought you joy in the past. Figure out how to rinse and repeat those moments.
Our trip around the world as a family is a few years behind us now but in so many ways it has never ended. We found the joy in each other that year . We grabbed hold of it and set a family YOLO – you only live once – philosophy that has guided us ever since.
I hope that you are finding yours too.
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