What brings joy ...

What used to bring joy into my life was hiking, running on trails, camping, and all sorts of fun, active things outdoors. And yoga. I was really good at it. Really good. When I first started having issues I was so devastated that I could no longer go hiking! No more long walks either. However I gradually learned how to find new things that brought me joy. Well, an old thing was bird watching, however that went along with hiking. Now I just watch birds in my back yard. I have lots of feeders, a few bird baths, flowers, bushes, trees - a nice place for birds to be. I put my chair in view of the best places, bring my camera along if I remember, and see how many varieties of birds I can spot. I love it. As for yoga - I just do a very light, super adapted version of some basic poses each morning for about 5 minutes.

Tufted Titmouse

Another old favorite was gardening. We used to have a very large garden every year, and I was an active participant. Now however I just have a small garden. I no longer help get it ready - my adult children do all of the hard work (tilling, making rows, planting). All I do is start some plants inside my house, and then I spend about 20 minutes each day [if I am able] alternating between weeding and watering. If I fall behind, someone catches me up. I have things set up to make it even easier. Like a very nice hose and hose cart right next to the garden. The hose cart has a storage shelf on the bottom, and that is where I put my little folding bench that I sit on to weed, as well as a few small hand tools and hose spray attachments.

My point. We must find ways to enjoy life still! As long as we are alive, we can find joy if we want to.