Dawg with a Blawg

I’m never going to die. Everyone in my life has heard me say it. If you’ve been following along with my blog, you’ve definitely read it once or twice. It sounds ridiculous, and maybe it is a bit silly. But what does it really mean? Why do I say it? Let’s dive in.

The dictionary defines joy as “a feeling of great happiness or pleasure”, with synonyms like delight and bliss. While I agree with the fact that joy can feel like a large amount of happiness, I do think there’s more to it than that. In looking up the dictionary definition of joy, I found an article that talked about its biblical definition. It said that biblical language consistently points to joy as an internal gladness that transcends changing circumstances. This feels more accurate to me and my experience. I think that while joy is something that can be felt in individual moments, it is also a state of being that you have to learn to embrace. You have to wake up every day and actively seek it out. You have to train your brain to recognize it in its subtlety. It has to be what you try to find first in any situation. With practice, these things can lead to joy being your resting state.

So, what does this have to do with my inability to die? Well, everything really. I believe that experiencing joy adds time to your life, and creating joy adds time to others’ lives. This year, I have gotten really good at looking for joy in every situation. I’ve learned to shift my mindset to recognize how good I truly have it, when things are good and when things are bad. I have gone out of my way to add things into my daily routine that remind me of just how full my heart is. I’ve tried to create joy in every area of my life, in hopes to add goodness into the hearts of everyone around me. In trying to create joy, I’ve learned that I love being truly ridiculous. I’m the happiest when I am perceived as just a little bit odd. Learning to embrace that has led to me living in a resting state of joy. It has given me enough joy, that I may just live forever.

Here are a few things I’ve done or experienced that you can do to also have this feeling:

• Create a blog! (Obviously)
• Play the song Who Let the Dogs Out every time your funny coworker comes into the office (thank you for this Morgan)
• Make handmade Christmas decorations
• Stare at every sunrise and sunset like it’s the first one you’ve ever seen
• Start your mornings with songs that your three-year-old niece showed you
• Play pranks on your boss
• Interested in someone? Go to their house and go through all of their stuff (the joy comes from retelling the story to your sister and laughing till you cry about how ridiculous you behave)
• Call an old friend
• Have a nephew that’s just learning to talk? Wait for him to learn how to say, “I love you”. It’ll add years to your life
• Did I mention starting a blog?
• Eat good soup

I could go on and on, but the point is this: joy is everywhere you choose to find it. When I say that I am never going to die, it’s because I feel like I have enough love and joy and excitement in my heart to last a million years. I say it in moments that are only adding to this lifespan. This feeling will surely outlast me in some way or another.

In closing, I think that I have a fever. I believe that I am getting very sick. I’m not sure what is happening to me.

Send cold medicine Dawgs!

But also, find, create and embrace joy, Dawgs! ❤