What brought you joy when you were a child? Was it a warm summer day of playing with a friend, building a snowman, hiking down a country road, or roasting a hot dog over an open fire? When did you feel most at peace? When did you feel the world was in perfect order?

My perfect day started with waking up on my grandmother’s farm. With no alarm to wake me I laid in bed while the breeze softly blew the white organdy curtains and listened to the hum of the farm…cows lowing in the pasture, tractors puttering to the field, and my grandfather and his farm hands chatting back and forth. As birds chirped, flies buzzed, pots and pats clanged, my grandmother busied herself cooking the noon meal for hungry farmers. The world was right. Pure joy and peace.

When you get in touch with what really brings you joy, fill your life with those experiences. Our anxieties, our “shoulds,” can drive us to numb down on TV, comfort food, and alcohol. We grasp at anything that brings us temporary pleasure, taking us father away from joy. So often in our quest to start families, build careers, create retirement savings, and conduct our lives in this busy, demanding world, we lose site of what makes our heart sing.

I think we should all make a New Year’s resolution to seek, find, and do what brings us true joy and inner peace. Pay a visit to your happy, carefree child. Just the thought of that brings a smile to my face. Please share with me what brings you peace and joy. Happy New Year!

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