Of late, I've been thinking about the definition of living well. Our culture seems to have perpetuated an idea about what makes a good life. That idea is, in my opinion, distorted. It wasn't always this way and I have to admit, a lot of the false narratives promoted are communicated on mediums that I enjoy! I am of course referring to television, the internet and social media.
The challenge that these modern wonders bring include presenting a false sense of what success looks like, along with providing extreme misrepresentations of what OTHERS are doing with their lives. Yes, I know that we are not supposed to compare ourselves to others, but some level of comparison is inevitable and social media makes it easier to BRAG and easier to see things that make us question our own choices and circumstances.
I have no advice for navigating social media and envy-inspiring posts, but I have learned some things about living my life with more focus on achievable joy.
Achievable or attainable joys are those things that we can do that are outside of our normal routine, that aren't burdensome to our budgets, and that enable us to make fond memories while enjoying our lives. We have been somewhat brainwashed into thinking that if we're not sailing a yacht down the French Riviera, we're not really living our best life. I've not yet made it to the French Riviera but I have experienced a lot of joy, and made some wonderful memories.
Over the past couple years, my sister and I began to incorporate small, fun trips on long weekends or over vacation periods in the Summer. Although we are both fiber fanatics, we didn't start out planning trips around visits to fabric/quilt and yarn shops, but we found ourselves seeking them out in communities near and far. Some days it's a quick trip to a single destination, like Firecracker Fabrics in the Morningside neighborhood in Pittsburgh, PA. Other times it's an intentional trip up the coast while spending a week at the sea shore (waving to the great folks in New Jersey, like Francesca at Enchanted Fiber in North Cape May, NJ).
We have met kindred spirits in fellow fabric and yarn enthusiasts, shared stories, learned new things and found inspiration in shops large and small. We have enjoyed these excursions thoroughly, and look forward to planning and going on more! In fact, we will soon be heading to the Northern part of Western Pennsylvania: Erie.
The Western Pennsylvania region is rich in small shops that feature skilled fiber artists and unique collections of fabric, yarn and supplies/tools. We've mapped out a day's worth of shops to visit between Pittsburgh and Erie, and look forward to our day immersed in fabric, yarn and the easy back and forth of conversation between 2 women who have known each other for more than 50 years (!),
True joy in life doesn't have to be grand, or fancy or expensive. In fact, some of the most genuine experiences of joy can be found in pretty normal activities.
It's great to have dreams and stretch goals. My sister and I are planning a trip to Iceland, Scotland or Ireland one of these years. but we will not WAIT until that trip comes to fruition to find joy. We will find it exploring fabric and yarn destinations, near and not-so-near, in weekend excursions, vacation weeks at the seashore and afternoon stops.
A life well-lived is less likely to be a "big bang" experience. It is more likely to be a tapestry, woven out of colorful threads, spun from small, meaningful interactions and experiences.
The next time we are feeling bored, blah or in need of some JOY, we can pull back from the "go big or go home" mindset, and seek some attainable joy. It's out there, in abundance. We just have to look!
(C) 2024 Stitch 'n Dish
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