Hey y’all! So I was talking to my best friend the other day and we were talking about wanting to feel pure joy and excitement like we did when we were younger. Now before I continue I need to mention two things: one, my bestie and I just randomly wax poetically about existential shit and ruin all hope of productivity with philosophical debates in the middle of the day: so you’re welcome for this. And two, I am obsessed with Bluey. It’s the greatest show on television. Is it a kid’s show? Sure! But again, it’s the best goddamn thing on television and you can take your judgement and shove it, because it makes me happy!
K thanx!
But anywho, my bestie and I were talking about the last time we got the feeling of pure excitement and it reminded me of an episode of Bluey called ‘Duck Cake’ that had that same energy. Let me explain for my non-Bluey friends, but first, a lil back-story real quick. Bluey is a children's cartoon based in Australia about an Australian Cattle Dog family, The Heelers, Mom (Chilli), Dad (Bandit), and their daughters Bluey and Bingo. There's other characters, but they are the main ones so I won't completely fangirl and inundate y'all with too much information, but just know...
I could.
Right, so in the 'Duck Cake' episode, Bluey is faced with finding something that makes her tail wag. Her sister, Bingo, is able to identify things that make her happy by whether or not her tail wags, like when she chose to have a duck-shaped cake for her birthday party because it was the only one that made her tail wag. This leads Bluey go through the episode questioning the reason why you should do things and not finding much satisfaction with the answers she got. That was until her dad messed up the cake and her doing a selfless act via cleaning his mess for him made her tail wag. So she tested the theory to see of it worked and did a few more selfless acts to confirm that is indeed what made her tail wag. It was cute AF, I got all the feels, and then having this conversation with my best friend got me thinking about what made my tail wag.
Let me ask you something. When was that last time you experienced something that made you feel genuine excitement? Seriously, think about that last time you felt the kind of pure excitement, that kid-level excitement like finding out there’s a week full of snow or hurricane days and you get to hang out at home all week with no homework? Or the moment you experienced the blessings of Beyonce in concert for the first time? Really think about it. If you can’t remember you should probably incorporate more joy in your life, by finding something that speaks gleefully to the little kid version of yourself. I encourage doing spontaneous shit, you know, things that don’t make any sense to your adult brain.
The last time I did something that made my tail wag was on the fourth of July, it was a rainy day in Georgia at my family’s house and so we sat outside on the porch in our rocking chairs. My daughter was whining to go down the stairs to get to the rain puddles and I got sick of saying no. So when the rain let up enough enough, I took off my shoes, picked her up, and we went and danced in the rain. Talk about unlocking a core memory. Spinning around in the rain like a little kid was exhilarating, my tail was definitely wagging, bitch! Prior to that the last time I felt genuine excitement was when she said ‘Mama’ for the first time.
See, I realized earlier this year, more like last year if I’m being honest, that I was becoming a person I didn’t like. I used to be so much fun and spontaneous, and I noticed that I wasn’t that way anymore. It felt like my very life-force was being sucked right out of me; I felt lost. I was becoming a sad and miserable little creature; I was unrecognizable to me. Luckily, I had the wherewithal to notice it and start working with my therapist to fix it. And so I let go of so many habits I’d adopted thinking that it somehow made me a responsible adult and exchanged them for more habits that allowed me to get back to that fun side of me and experience pure joy in the moment again. Instead of stressing about my to-do list, and your good bitch loved to stress a to-do list, I remained flexible and set more realistic and attainable goals for myself. These days I try to stay as present as possible and make sure that if there’s a chance to cut loose and have some fun, I do it.
I said all that to say that I really want us all to be thinking of what thrills us, and brings pure unadulterated joy. The state of the world thrives and depends on us being apathetic to the bullshit but if we keep looking for reasons to feel good and holding space for joy in our lives it will come to us.
Yes, this week’s blog is more on the serious side of things ‘cause I’m hormonal AF and in my feelings, and you’re welcome! Have a happy Saturday, put on ‘Alien Superstar’ and shake your tails! Love y’all for real! 🙃
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Also, make sure you’re up to date on my novella ‘Situationships & Sippy Cups’. It is available on Kindle Vella in the Amazon store, check it out!!!