Donn King discovered a book by poet Ross Gay entitled The Book of Delights. It has inspired him to post a daily thought sparked by noticing something (or some things) delightful, thereby fostering joy. May it inspire you to notice also.
Full day, despite the first one below.
Canceled plans
We had scheduled to meet with one of my best friends at our favorite coffee house today. At nearly the last minute she needed to reschedule—the reason doesn't matter, just that it was legitimate. We were already prepared to go out, though, so out we went. We just enjoyed the time to ourselves, drank a little of our favorite beverages, ate a little bit, hung out.I hated to miss our visit, but the reality is that we rescheduled it, so it's only delayed. One of the things I love as an introvert (even though I'm a social introvert) is when plans get canceled and a time window opens up.
It was relaxing, despite needing to end earlier than I would have liked because we needed to get home before the thunderstorm hit.
Going back to bed
I set the alarm earlier than I really needed to, so when it went off I made the executive decision to go back to bed. For years I have said that the only thing that feels better than going to bed is going back to bed. It's true, and it's a simple delight. We still had plenty of time to get ready to go to the coffee house. As it turned out, I could have just stayed in bed, but that’s beside the point. It wasn’t so much the sleeping that was the delight. It was the “going back to bed” part.
Made another connection between friends
I was able to introduce another couple of people to each other. I think highly of both of them, but they didn't know each other before. I think it will truly be a win/win connection for them both. It's one of my favorite things to do, and so it was a delight.
I suppose this falls under some conventional wisdom that says that when you’re depressed, the best thing you can do is something for someone else. Maybe it’s just that I get a lot of satisfaction from it. In any case, it was a delight.
Donn King is The Confidence Cultivator. He is a professor of communication studies (which means “a professor of standing up in front of people and saying stuff”). He’s also a pastor, a speaker, a writer, and a communication coach. He works with professionals and leaders just like you who want to speak confidently so they can increase their impact, gain influence, and build their careers. Send email to donn at donnellking dot com if you would like to see if he could help you communicate with greater confidence.