No More Pussy Footing IT in Auto Pilot

Alarm, snooze, alarm, snooze, alarm.  OK, the feet hit the floor, now the search for an outfit that looks half way decent and is comfortable. Shower, dry, lotion, dress (wrangling the boulders into their holder. the most exercise I will probably get all day), brush the snags, hair-do, makeup. LIGHTS~CAMERA~ACTION.  "Gavin! Time to get up." (insert a banter of some morning grumpiness) We rush out the door.  Backing out of the driveway, fleeting joy catches my eye.  ERRRRRT. Brake. Stop. "Gavin, did you see that?"

I've been on this joy ride for a few months now.  Myself and two other dorky moms got this things rolling. Get the back story here.  Here's the deal. 

Everyone has a purpose. It doesn't start by finding it. It starts by giving it to yourself. It leads you and pulls you towards IT. A continuous cycle of mystery and discovery. The pursuit.

What is your IT?  I really couldn't say, but it's not doing to just fall in your lap.  Purpose is joy.  Joy is purpose.  You have to give it to yourself.  Plain and simple, not easy.  So, back to this joy ride thing.

The Ultimate Yellow Joy Machine

I've been seeing YELLOW finches flying everywhere lately.  There are a few of us who have given ourselves the purpose of finding joy in the color yellow. We see it. We take a picture. We post it on our public Flickr group here. We write a caption. AND in October we will gather all the images and create a video montage of YELLOW Joy.  You can read about Tracie's reconciliation with YELLOW here.  This ride is creating an amazing collaborative story!


"Gavin did you see that?"  I'm jolting out of auto pilot by YELLOW finches yet again.  But, today as the finches swoop low a gorgeous blue bird zooms by high.  We follow it down the street (blue bird), but loose the trail.  I keep thinking how I could get a picture of these little joy flights.

I drop Gavin off at day care and make it to work.  Annette comes into my office.  She's becoming such an amazing painter.  She shares each new child of emotional labor with me.  This is what she lays on my desk.

I'm in LOVE! "Annette, I must buy this painting."

She too has been admiring YELLOW finches for a few weeks.  It is their mating and nesting time.  It was pure joy the instant I laid eyes on the painting.  I shared the Yellow Joy Machine story with Anette.  Her emotional labor brought someone pure joy.  JOY. JOY. JOY. RADIATING YELLOW .

Pure JOY can't be found in your auto pilot mode.  It takes intention. Don't pussy foot around.  The Ultimate Yellow Joy Machine is just one ride.  Catch one of your own.  Pick something that will represent your joy and seek it out. It is your purpose.  Let's put the pedal to the metal and keep this riding going.