When Life Gets Messy, How Do You Find Joy in the Dust?

My Happy Place overlooks a construction zone. 

Tim and I are in Delray Beach for the holiday, where we have a tiny sliver of paradise. Until recently, our condo overlooked a B & B, some dilapidated shacks that were home to stray cats and possums, and an empty lot - an oasis of green in the city where neighbors walk their dogs.

We knew when we purchased it, of course, that we were now officially “City Dwellers,”as opposed to suburbanites, and that the landscape of our urban neighborhood was zoned for change. 

We knew that soon we would be trading the shacks, along with the quiet, for the new construction that our town’s gentrification would inevitably bring. 

 The new building will undoubtedly be beautiful when it’s finished. 

But for right now, we are smack dab in the messy middle of it, with its temporary, yet unwelcome, dust, noise, and continuous beeping of forklifts and cranes.

• We keep our AirPods at the ready on our nightstands, along with the “White Noise” app, for when the early morning beeping begins, trying to eke out another 10 minutes of sleep. 

• We keep shoes on a rug by the balcony door, to slip in and out of when we walk outside to wipe the day’s dust off of the furniture.

• We play our favorite music set lists all day long, to mask the sounds of hammering and engines rumbling. 

Tim and I have both been a little grumpy. 

But neither of us wants to be stuck there. 

And so, we decide.

• We put on our ball caps and walk the leisurely mile to the beach in the sunshine.

• We pause to look up and take in the palm trees and brilliant blue sky.

• We walk down the Avenue, greeting the friends we inevitably bump into, stopping to chat and make arrangements to meet for dinner at one of the many restaurants within walking distance of our little condo.

• We squeeze each other’s hands, remembering how lucky we are to have worked so hard for so many years and, together, made this palm-treed dream a reality. 

So much of our happiness comes down to focus.

• Do we focus on the dust? Or do we focus on the gorgeous, painterly sunset coloring the sky around us?

• Do we focus on the jolt of an unexpected bill…or the knowledge that we’ve handled financial challenges before and now have options or resources to help?

• Do we focus on all the frightening “What if’s” of a health diagnosis, or the fact that we live in times with advanced medicine and support systems that our grandparents never had?

We can’t always control the situation or events that happen to us. 

And we certainly can’t control other people. 

Yet…

Even in an uncontrollable situation,

there are always things we can control.

And one of the Most Powerful Things we get to control is

what we focus on. 

We can’t control the construction across the street any more than we can control the weather or a traffic jam, but we can control how we deal with it.

And so, as the Thanksgiving holiday reminds me, I choose to focus on all the things I have to be grateful for.

• That, at this lovely age of my life, I am still learning, growing, evolving, reinventing.

• That I have the breathtaking opportunity to create, and to dedicate my heart and time to help others lead happier, more fulfilling lives.

• That I have wonderful friends and family who mean so much to me.  

That Tim and I are incredibly lucky to have each other, our health, and this sweet, dusty, little slice of paradise.

Stay Strong. Stay Kind.

With so much love,

Susan

Decide Happy Practice

1. Is there something stressing you out or making you feel grumpy?

2. What’s good about this? Or what could be good about this if you only focused on it?

3. What are you grateful for? What brings you joy in your life?

Try shifting your focus to this. How do you feel now?   

Know someone who could use a lift?

Perhaps a friend or loved one who is stressed, stuck, or ready for more in life?

🎄 🕎 Decide Happy and Real-Life Extraordinary books make thoughtful, welcome holiday gifts. 🎄🕎

Both are available now on Amazon.