Finding Joy in the Everyday: How to Reconnect with What Lights You Up

Things seem different.  There’s a quiet that comes with this season of life. The house isn’t as busy as it once was, the calendar isn’t as full, and sometimes the silence can feel heavier than we expected. After years of caring for others and keeping up with everything, we suddenly find ourselves wondering, what now?

It can be easy to think joy has slipped away with the noise and the motion of earlier years. But I’ve come to believe joy doesn’t disappear - it just hides in new places, waiting for us to notice it again.

Finding joy in the everyday isn’t about chasing excitement or filling every hour. It’s about discovering what lights you up NOW, and remembering that life still holds beauty, even in the simple moments that might seem ordinary at first glance.

Sometimes that begins with reaching out - reconnecting with a friend you’ve lost touch with or saying yes to an invitation, even when you feel like staying home. Other times it’s more inward, like finding purpose in creating something with your hands, tending to your garden, writing in your journal, or walking outside just to feel the sun on your face.

Joy also lives in the little sparks of curiosity like trying a new recipe, learning something new, joining a book club or networking group, or exploring a place nearby you’ve never taken the time to visit. It doesn’t have to be big. It just has to be yours.

This chapter of life can feel uncertain, lonely or just a little uncomfortable, but it also holds incredible freedom and space to rediscover who you are apart from all the roles you’ve played.

So maybe joy isn’t something we have to chase at all. Maybe it’s something we simply choose to see again in the laughter of a friend, the warmth of a morning cup, or the quiet knowing that there’s still so much to look forward to.

I’m right here, finding it too.