Editor’s Note: Introducing Following Your Joy’s first guest blogger! The honor goes to my favorite guy in the whole world—my husband, my cheerleader, my best friend, my soulmate, my live-in comedian, my fellow joy-follower, Bill Stimpson.

A new lesson for me is that gratitude and joy go hand-in-hand. Where there is joy, gratitude is always present. And when I come from a place of gratitude, joy will certainly follow. After seeing this idea in writing now, I feel a bit silly making such a simple announcement!

But until this past week, though, I never really understood it.

I don’t know that it’s possible to live a life that is joyful in all moments, but that doesn’t stop me from trying. Just like everyone else, I have those rough days, or sometimes rough stretches of days, when joy seems like a foreign concept. I recently had a particularly challenging week, culminating in a Friday that I thought would never end. However, it all changed in an instant, with a simple expression of gratitude.

An office getaway

That day, I needed to get away from the office for lunch. So along with a few of my co-workers, we went out and hit one of the local hotspots, specializing in all things chicken. Unfortunately, the place was completely packed, overbearingly loud, and filled with no fewer than 30 giant flat-screen TV’s…all providing the latest important updates in natural disasters, political turmoil, sports scandals, and, of course, wonderful products that would surely change my life in an instant. That atmosphere wasn’t exactly what I had in mind. Oh well, it still felt good to get away and I needed something to eat anyway.

After twenty or so minutes of strained conversation, our food finally arrived. I was starving and ready to dig right into my mouthwatering-looking chicken wrap. But, instead—in a stroke of good fortune—I paused and took a moment to acknowledge my food. I thought about each aspect of my lunch, where it all came from, and all the people that were involved in helping to create this meal for me. I felt especially grateful for the chicken that had, obviously, gone through the ultimate sacrifice so I could have a nice lunch.

Suddenly, my day seemed not so daunting. In fact, I felt amazingly better!

So while my coworkers were busy having a heated argument on the odds of the success of Tiger Woods’ marriage, I was having an amazing moment by myself. No one would have ever known.

A feeling of peace

The gratitude I had for my chicken wrap spread within me like wildfire. I became grateful for my coworkers, grateful for my job. Grateful for my health, for my beautiful and cozy townhome, for all the wonderful friends and family in my life, and on and on. And most of all, of course, I was grateful for the amazing life that I have with my soulmate, Michelle, and the incredibly rich life we have created for ourselves.

This immense gratitude then manifested into joy; joy that completely filled me. The irony of the situation didn’t escape me either: Amidst all the chaos, I, who had arrived at the restaurant in such a hopeless state of mind, appeared now to be the only soul in the entire place that felt at peace.

My day had completely changed in only a moment’s time. And believe me, a chicken wrap has never tasted so good!

When I got back to work, all the day’s challenges were still there. But in light of my new attitude, everything seemed more doable. I completed my work, and I looked forward to a refreshing weekend. Even the thought of coming back to work on Monday seemed okay.

Again, I took a moment for myself—this time I was grateful for my experience at lunch, which had unexpectedly made such a joyful impact on my day. But more than that, I was grateful for this new life lesson—one that I knew would serve me well in the future, when I might once again find that joy has temporarily eluded me.

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Bill Stimpson is a life enthusiast, personal growth addict, and part-time writer. For Bill, humor is a priority and a day is never complete without at least one good belly laugh!

Where has a moment of gratitude in your life turned into a feeling of joy?

I recently stumbled upon a willow tree near my walking path. It reminded me of when I was a kid and I used to love the willow tree in my grandparents’ backyard, where I’d hide amongst its long wispy branches. So a few weeks ago on my walk, I kept feeling a nudge to go over to the tree; to be a kid again and feel its safe protection.

But the tree was far off the path, and the grass was wet from a recent rain, and I didn’t want my new running shoes to get muddy, and on and on including a ton of other excuses.

At about that same time, a good friend had her 40th birthday party at a roller rink. She rented out the entire place for a few hours and we were all invited to join in on the fun. When I was a kid, I was a fantastic skater, and I was excited to see the good ol’ neighborhood rink once again and hang out. As Bill and I were getting ready to leave the house, though, I emphatically asserted myself and said, “I’m just letting you know right now that I’m not putting on skates!”

My reaction about the burden of going over to the tree and my stubbornness about not budging with the idea of skating had me, well, pretty disappointed in myself. I always say that life is all about living…but for whatever reason, I seemed to have a pretty short leash on myself here. However, life is also all about the journey and the learning in the process, right?

Stepping up

In both scenarios, I caught myself. And turned things around.

The payoff was huge.

I made the trek over to the willow tree and invited myself in. There I was, back at my grandparents’ backyard in the summertime. No one could see me or find me there. It felt magical and comforting and for a moment, I envisioned myself in a playhouse with soft walls all around me. I leaned against the center of this magnificent sheltering tree and took a deep breath in. I felt ten years-old again and it was amazing to let myself be that little girl with the long blond locks, crooked teeth, and not a care in the world.

At the roller rink, I smelled popcorn and could almost taste those long red licorice ropes. The lights were flashing, the disco ball was spinning, Michael Jackson tunes were blasting, and I caved. In the next moment, I was sitting on the carpeted bench lacing up a pair of rented roller skates for the first time in 26 years.

Of course it was awkward at first, but after a few minutes it was just like riding a bike. I did great! I was magically transported back to my junior high days when the only thing on my mind was learning new skating moves and hooking up with a cute boy during the “couples” song. Now as an adult, cruising around the rink was unbelievably freeing. Once again, I gave in and gave myself permission to be that kid again.

Who knows why I initially held back from these energizing experiences? Going to the tree felt like “too much trouble,” and I presume that not wanting to skate was all about the fear of falling.

Embracing the joy of the child within

Since then, every day I check to see how my willow is doing. And I am so proud of myself for putting on those dang skates and living it up! These are just a few reminders of how fun life can be when we finally give ourselves permission to live a little and embrace that precious kid inside. It’s an essential foundation to following your joy.

So. What’s one thing you will do this week to engage that child who loves to come alive and play???

Note: Here’s a special guy who does a great job at keeping me on task!

One of our best vacations last year was a trip to Northern California where Bill and I spent time hiking in the Redwoods, driving along the coast, exploring the wine country, connecting with loved family members, and just being. Ten days of fantastic vacationing.

I recall being at the airport before boarding the plane back to Minneapolis. From my cell phone, I checked in with a few family members back home, and each call eagerly began with the voice on the other end saying, “So, what was the highlight of your trip?” And each time, my mind raced, struggling with a battle inside of what an appropriate response might be…you know, those “should’s.”

I felt like I should respond with: “Being in the presence of those magnificent ancient Redwoods” (which, they were magnificent!) or “Feeling moved to tears as we saw Mount Shasta making its presence known in the horizon” (which really did move me) or “Driving along the rugged California coast and looking out at the ocean” (yes, what a sight!).

But I knew that if I were to give the response that came straight from the depth of my heart and soul, it would be even “bigger” than any of those other canned answers. Simply put, my honest answer to our vacation highlight would be: “Disconnecting from the daily routine of life.”

Ditching the structure

Back home, I love my structure. I thrive well on a plan. I tend to enjoy the routine I have created for myself. But oh, what a whole world can open up to you if you allow yourself to “disconnect” from that once in a while! And vacation is a great way to gently force you to detach from the daily rituals you have created. In fact, when I do disengage from my routines, what I find that I am actually doing—on a higher level—is connecting with myself.

I like to think that I do a pretty good job of all of this, even when I’m caught up in those earthly, daily routines. And I’m good at having fun and following my joy. What I learned from this trip, though, is that life can be even better when we take the time to step back and disconnect, in a sense, so that we may fully “re-connect” once again to our wonderful, magical selves.

While I was fortunate to have a full ten days to experience this, it doesn’t have to be nearly that long! In the summer, a treat for me is to leave my home office for an hour or so at lunch. I sit out on a nearby public patio overlooking a pond with a beautiful fountain, enjoying my salad. And every single time, I feel like I’m on vacation. It does wonders for my spirit!

Give yourself a break

So when you’re planning out your day, week, or month and scheduling in appointments and tasks and “to-do’s”…be sure to also schedule in some time to disconnect from everything. Even if it’s only for a half-hour during the day. And then be open to what you might find there. It’s definitely the perfect prescription for recharging your batteries, getting to know yourself better, and ultimately being more equipped to jump back in and live your life.

What types of “vacations” do you enjoy and when will you plan your next one?

One of my favorite days of the summer happened last week. It was a special day with my 13 year-old niece, Hannah—a summer date together before school started once again. It was pouring rain, so all plans for outdoor fun got shelved, and we found ourselves at the largest mall in the country, Mall of America.

Being in the moment

For that afternoon, I forgot about office details or tasks that needed to be tended to at home. I was away from my computer and didn’t have to think about the bills. Instead, I got to see the world through the eyes of a delightful teenager who hasn’t even had to ponder the world of adult responsibility. Every moment with Hannah was a pleasure, and it reminded me to move away from the things that bog me down…and slow down and play a little.

We both made a conscious decision to enjoy the rainy day inside. And I knew we meant business when shortly after entering the Mall, Hannah said, “Auntie Michelle, this day is going to be so much fun!”

We ate our Mexican lunch in the food court and talked about boys, our music tastes, Facebook, and the upcoming school year. We walked all four floors (twice!), enjoying the buzzing energy of the Mall and we laughed a lot. We sampled truffles in a chocolate shop (Lindt’s Lindor truffles get the thumbs-up from both of us!). We collapsed in giant oversized beanbag chairs we found on sale. And at the end we got lost trying to remember where we parked.

Best of all was our decision to do an old-time photo, dressed up as 1920’s flapper girls at a bar during Prohibition (see above). We elbowed each other and giggled throughout most of the experience, and it was tough to keep a serious face during the photo shoot (it was funny later when I dropped Hannah off at home and she said to her mom, “Mom, um, we got into a bit of trouble today…but at least there’s a photo to show what happened.”)!

In our own little world

Who knew that when we left the Mall, there had been reports of tornados in the metro area with extensive wind damage while we were inside whooping it up? Not us.

Little escapes can be good. Especially with someone you love and who might be able to unknowingly lift you out of ‘yourself.’ I know that after our outing, I certainly came back to my home and work routine refreshed, rejuvenated, and grateful for the experience.

Plan for that important time on your calendar, and then be open to wherever the car or the wind or your desire takes you. It will give following your joy a whole new meaning.