If there is one thing that has stolen my joy in the past, it's been a bad relationship with food. Now that I travel as part of my job, I've been making a conscious effort to eat healthier and more adventurously. No only did it work, but I've been documenting the meals that I have been having in different areas and trying local, small restaurants instead of big name chains. It's been one of my favorite hobbies to work into my travel season schedule!
Now that I've been home for a few month's and I'm gearing up to travel again, I thought that I would leave a few recommendations for me fellow foodies out there. First up we have the all-american food of Asbury Ale House and my personal favorite dish, the chicken lettuce wraps!
The one thing that has really helped me overcome some of my food issues is recognizing that I don't have to finish every bit on my plate. I used to feel like I needed to finish every bite, or else I would be wasteful and internally, bad. Of course that's not the case at all! There was no one in my life ever telling me that I would be a bad person for not finishing all of my food, and I slowly started to recognize that the tummy discomfort I was feeling was due to the speed and amount that I was eating rather than the type of food that I was eating.
Now, I take the time to sip my drink in between bites, and fully chew and swallow as I'm eating. I nearly never finish all of my food, and I'm okay with that. In fact, I don't even take the leftovers with me anymore. I don't have a place to take them to and I don't typically have them with me for lunch when I am traveling on the road.
It's a long road, but I'm getting there! And having the mindset of eating slowly has helped tremendously, too.
xo,
Jesse
Part of finding joy is figuring out the activities that sustain you and bring you joy when you're alone. Something that I struggle with frequently is the concept of being alone and how I deal with that on a daily basis. I've never been a girl who likes her alone time, I am a true extrovert! I get all of my comfort and energy being surrounded by other people, even when we aren't directly interacting. Simply knowing that another person is sharing my surroundings and able to hear me when I ponder things out loud, or who would hear if someone broke into our house (#anxiety), is something that can completely bring me peace.
When I was young, starting as early as I can remember in first or second grade, I was a reader. And when I say that I was a reader, I was a voracious reader. I would read until my parents came and turned off the light, I would read underneath my desk during the school day, I would read in the car, I would bring books with me wherever I went. I was obsessed with all of the stories that I could immerse myself in, and my favorite time of the year was when the Scholastic Book Fair would come to the library. I can still define books today that have changed my life! (More on that later).
The importance of finding a solo activity that you enjoy is something that cannot be stressed enough. For my day job, I do a lot of traveling 3-4 months of the year. Being away from home, and away from roommates and friends, can be tough on anyone, but I've always found it especially difficult. My goal this year was to enjoy the travel. To enjoy having time to myself where I could read, ignore everything around me, and just appreciate being in a restaurant or a hotel lobby...
...and it worked.
I sat and read, and ate and drank. It was a bit of a journey to get over the hump of awkwardness in being alone at restaurants, but now that's the least of my concerns. Although more places could take reservations for one person and that would be nice!
I travel mainly in PA, DE, and MD so if you have any food or drink suggestions, let me know!
xo,
Jesse
When thinking about starting a blog and what on earth I would want to talk about, the only thing that continuously came to mind was this idea of joy. What does it mean to be joyful? To find joy in the little, every day things? To cultivate a lifestyle that allows you the most joy? I don't know that I have the answers for everyone, but I know that I'm slowly finding the answers for myself.
Blogging about my life has been something that I've been thinking about for a few years now, ever since I started reading over at Carly the Prepster (back when she was The College Prepster!). I was so intrigued that so many people wanted to read about her life, and I saw a lot of similarities between us despite a bit of an age difference. I was, and continue to be, inspired by a young woman who was able to find herself and her voice in this busy world. I hope to be the same beacon of light for someone out there, showing you that it's possible to find your own joy, rooted in your own life.
So, a brief definition of joy, by me.
Joy is self-care, mainly in the form of peppermint oil and Thin Mints. Joy is a fresh cup of tea and the Reese's your roommate brings your home for Galentine's day. Joy is waking up and loving your job each morning and calling your best friend on the drive home every night. Joy is the daily desk calendar with hand painted doodles and noise canceling headphones to keep out the noise. Joy is being appreciated by your coworkers and thanked by your bosses.
Joy is found in the daily, little things. I've been working on finding joy in my own life and I hope I can help you find that in your life, too.
xo,
Jesse
