Back in the day (i.e. mid-November 2011, two months before "approaching joy" came in to existence) for about two weeks straight I had a daily Facebook status update that announced to the world what it was that I was "hearting" that particular day. This could have been anything but was usually a shout out to a super cool co-worker or gratitude for a small, beautiful moment... oh yeah, and it always included a count-down to the day I would get an iPhone. I really needed to share my excitement about that.
And then I got the flu (version 1.0 of this year) and I was struggling to post something about "heart-ing" the couch that I was confined to and all of the sudden "things I heart today" went by the wayside. (And eventually I did get the phone.)
But I like the concept.
I like the thought of vocalizing gratefulness for things that don't come up in everyday conversation. I like the thought of shining a spot-light on people for other people to see. It's one thing to say "thank you" to someone's face; it's something totally different when you announce their awesomeness to the world at large. It is particularly nice when statements like, "There was the most beautiful sunset on my way home from a crappy day," or "I had Lucky Charms today and I don't even like Lucky Charms but I do heart the fact that I was able to eat breakfast," can change your attitude. It's also nice to appreciate (i.e. "heart") something even if it is "just" particularly cute dress, a new-to-you website, or the (fill in the blank here) object that you can not wait to have in your life; some people may call that shallow but I call it life in action, and to deny those things would be to deny our everyday existence.
In it's previous form I had so many positive comments about this project.
People got it. They understood that even on the most mundane days there are always things to be grateful about. So I want to bring it here. I want to continue to challenge myself to find this appreciation.
And maybe this project will help you see the things that are in your life worth "hearting".
