What does it mean to assemble a joyful life? We’ll explore three concepts and do a bit of brainstorming to discover our own path to joy.
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I’m a little obsessive
Wait, can you be just a little obsessive? Maybe it’s an obsession that you’re trying to keep under control. At any rate, my little obsession is with names.
Lots of y’all know that I’ve been making and selling soap for ages. What you may not know is that in my soap making journey I came up with the names first, then developed soaps to match. So for Manly Joe, I used fresh after-shavey essential oils, finely ground pumice and a vintage fisherman for the label. Miss Magnolia? You guessed it — lemony magnolia fragrance with calendula petals for an added floral touch and on the wrapper, a glamorous beauty queen.
So when I created this website, I knew that I wanted the tagline — the second name — to really reflect what Camp Topisaw is about. After all, Camp Topisaw is our home and our business, and we wanted to get it right! So after a lengthy brainstorming session, we came up with “Assemble a Joyful Life”, and I gotta say, I think we nailed it.
what does it mean to assemble a joyful life?
That’s absolutely going to vary for every person!
But for us, in exploring the concept of ASSEMBLAGE, we kept coming back to these ideas:
- Layers
- Creating
- Rhythms
Layers.
Looking around our home I see layers — layers of objects that have been given, passed down, purchased, found or made over the past 30 years.
While I appreciate an orderly home, I don’t want a sterile one. I like looking around and seeing physical objects that are pleasing because of their colors (pink and red are my favorites) or because they make me smile or laugh or remember.
Some of the things in our house are valuable in a worldly way, but most are precious only because of their stories.
Remember when we went to the stables in France and they gave us this horseshoe? Oh, the girls made that box from wood the builders left when they were building the soap house! These are the rocks we found on that great trip to Long Island.
Layers of things, yes, but also layers of stories, of events, of people, of places, of memories.
- What are the physical objects that trigger happy memories for you? Are they out where you can see and enjoy them or hidden away?
- Pick one room in your house and sit quietly there with a pen and paper. As you look around, make a note of each object that has a story connected to it.
- Look for themes in your environment. Do you see the same colors or motifs repeating over and over?
Creating.
To assemble is a creative task. If you were making an assemblage or a collage in art class there are several ways you could go about it:
- You visualize the finished work and then begin collecting the various parts/pieces you need to achieve that vision. The work builds gradually, as you consider each piece and whether it’s leading the work in your desired direction.
- You randomly collect pieces that speak to you and start applying them to the canvas as you find them. The work builds quickly and organically, and each “mistake” leads you in a new direction.
In assembling a joyful life we get to choose the pieces. Those pieces might be things or people or colors. They might be where we live and what we have for dinner.
So what about the assemblage of your life? Do you tend to carefully plan and access decisions before moving forward? Or do you just sort of charge ahead, trusting that if you follow your instincts it will all work out? HINT: There’s no right answer : )
I think you’ll also find this article helpful:
How To Create A Personal Manifesto
Rhythms.
The choices you make every day determine your entire life. How about that? By creating daily rhythms that make you happy and fulfilled and healthy, you’re setting the course to assemble a joyful life. One of my favorite mantras:
Every moment is a choice
It’s when I follow my chosen rhythms that I’m the most productive and feel the most satisfaction. Just for fun, here’s my daily rhythm:
- Wake up.
- Drink hot apple cider vinegar + honey cocktail.
- Do Morning Pages.
- Make coffee.
- Write and work on business.
- Have oatmeal or yogurt depending on the day.
- Food or project photography.
- Go for a walk.
- Eat a snack (usually hummus or cheese + crackers).
- Go see what David’s up to in the greenhouse or tidy the house (yuck).
- Cook and eat dinner.
- More writing and/or watch a movie on Amazon.
- In bed at 10. Read for 30 minutes. Lights out at 10.30.
When I manage to stay in the rhythm I feel good about myself (joyful, even!) mentally, physically and emotionally.
Do you have a daily rhythm? Or maybe a seasonal rhythm?
- Take a few minutes to record what you do every day.
- What things do you love doing?
- Are there things that don’t bring you joy?
Remember that you’re constructing an assemblage — you can add or remove pieces to suit the work (life) you want to create.