Tag Archives: make the journey fun

What Does Make The Journey Fun Really Mean?

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The premise of this blog space is in the title: Make The Journey Fun.

That’s not to say that every day is fun or that it’s an adventure. That’s to say that we have a choice each day – enjoy it or don’t. However, life is much better when you make an effort to enjoy it. 

I live my life by a number of keys to happiness. One is that you should always have something to look forward to and another is that you have to make the best of where you are right now. Obviously, making the best of your circumstances isn’t easy if you’re sick, unemployed or facing the death of someone important to you. However, most of us aren’t spending our average days facing these circumstances. Instead, most of us are facing first world problems that make life harder like the neighbor is a jerk or something on the news bothered you. Why let these things ruin our day? It’s all just part of the journey.

It’s about 5:40 on Sunday night. The heat broke with the rain Friday and we have had a few cooler days. The windows are open and a cricket in a nearby butterfly bush has been serenading me all day. Homemade granola cools in the pan while Scout wanders from one window to the next, breathing the fresh September air. 

This day has gone far too quickly as Sundays often do. However, it has been a good one. I slept in and did some chores. I finished a book and selected the next. I finally made it through the stack of mail that has been accumulating on the counter and sketched out a new budget that still needs some work. A late afternoon shower left me feeling clean and refreshed. Laundry is done for the week and leftovers are stacked up in the fridge for tomorrow’s lunch.

Life is pretty good.

This time last week I was adventuring through Philadelphia with a friend, soaking in history, art and stories from another time. Life was pretty good then too. 

You see?  Adventure makes life better. A quiet day at home makes life better too. Tomorrow takes me back to work. This is less thrilling but it’s a good job that allows me to have a life that I can enjoy. After work, I look forward to coming home to my cat to do a few chores and settle in with a book. 

Life can’t always be a fun adventure but it’s up to you to decide how good or fun the normal days will be. Not sure how to adjust your attitude? Start giving yourself something small to look forward to every day. Some candidates might be your first cup of morning coffee, a walk after work with a friend, a trip to the library, a pan of homemade (from the box, of course) brownies or a package you ordered from Etsy. 

These things can cost money or be free. They can be big or teeny tiny acts of kindness toward yourself. These are the things that make life better. These are the things that make the journey more enjoyable and these are the things that can even make the journey fun. Don’t believe me? Give it a whirl and see what happens.

Here We Go Again

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This space has been quiet for a few days as I’ve been wrestling with a decision about Make the Journey Fun and whether or not to continue publishing here.

I started this blog a little over two years ago. At the time, it was part travel guide for friends and part therapy for me. Along the way, it has introduced me to new friends, has given me a daily responsibility to publish something, and has evolved into broader topics and a larger collection of pictures and ideas that basically cover all the random things about the world that I enjoy.

It will never be a business and I’m good with that. In fact, everything I do here flies in the face of all the blogging experts who say that you should only publish what helps the reader or that posts should have headlines like “Five things to do before a road trip.”

I do none of this, instead opting to write the kind of stories that I enjoy reading. And oddly enough, I’ve found a loyal following of people who seem to enjoy the purely random things that I pull out of my hat each day.

I won’t claim that what I do here is work. It’s more or less a quick, down and dirty exercise in storytelling that forces me to respect a deadline and to not obsess over the finer points of what I’m doing. It’s fun.

Sadly, the world seems like an extraordinarily dark place right now as people prefer strife and controversy to happy stories and pretty pictures. They opt for a thirty second video over a two minute read or, worse yet, to just read a headline or comments before forming an opinion and moving on. It’s starting to feel like no one wants to read, think or even be happy.

I don’t know about you, dear reader, but all of the bickering and the destruction of social constructs that I hold dear are enough to make me want to slit my wrists with a rusty razor blade. The ugliness is exhausting and it isn’t going away.

It makes me wonder if there’s still a call for those pretty pictures and random stories that I enjoy sharing. Maybe not. Maybe I just write for me and hope that the positive influence helps at least one person.

Maybe it’s time to close up shop, delete the blog and spend more time alone and offline.

The answer isn’t clear to me just yet.

However, an email from a friend who liked a picture and a message from Christine thanking me for a book recommendation bolstered my spirits, at least a little. Perhaps there is still a desire for something light in this sea of negativity that consumes us. The best I can do at this point is to be me and hope it’s good enough.

So here we go again.

Have a good weekend, friends. It’s a long weekend for some of us. Turn off social media, breathe some fresh air, move your body, embrace the light and do something fun.