What is your JOY list?

Got this in my email today, from Bo Sanchez's Practical Soulfood for Successful People

My traveling companion was an 83-year-old woman.

I just preached in Jakarta and Singapore—and brought my Mom with me.
Sure, she had salt and pepper hair.
And a few more wrinkles on her face.

Sure, she had her metal cane.
And walked slower than I did.
But Mom followed my crazy schedule.

We arrived midnight in Jakarta. Slept a bit. By morning, I gave my seminar while my Jakarta friends toured Mom around the city—malls, the cathedral, etc. In the evening, she watched my Concert. We slept after midnight again like she was a teenager from a late night party.

The next day, we woke up early for my morning talk. After that, while I attended more meetings, my friends whisked Mom away to shop. This included a cable car ride at the amusement park!

That night, she slept by midnight. Again!

The next morning, we flew to Singapore. There, Mom attended my seminars. But in between, she went around Singapore. And would you believe? This 83-year old woman even rode a gigantic Ferris wheel!

Now tell me: How many of you know of women her age still riding Ferris wheels?

If You’re Alive, Why Not Be Really Alive?
Mom is teaching me how to be really alive.
Now don’t misunderstand me.
Mom has her moments of deep sorrow.
Mom lost Dad last year.
So every now and then, she cries a lot.

But she’s made a decision that while she’s alive, she’ll live it to the full.
While she’s alive, she’ll enjoy life the way she wants to.

I believe Mom has a “Joy List”—things that she really enjoys doing. I don’t know if she ever wrote it down on paper, but I’m absolutely sure she has it written down in her heart. Here is her “Joy List”:

· Go to Mass everyday.
· Pray daily before the Blessed Sacrament.
· Have happy meals with her children and grandchildren, especially with her favorite son. (Ahem.)
· Watch EWTN on TV everyday—after my TV shows of course.
· Chat with her friends on the phone. Most of her old friends are now in Heaven. So she had to make new friends—twenty and thirty years younger than her.
· Listen to my talks and laugh at my jokes—even if she has heard them a hundred times already.
· Ride Cable Cars in Indonesia and giant Ferris Wheels in Singapore!
Her philosophy: “If you’re alive, why not be reallyalive?”

Ask yourself this simple question: What gives you joy?
Write it down.
Big joys. Small joys. Write them all down.
Don’t live passively.
Don’t live your days on autopilot, forever stuck on your routine.
Fill your life with as much happiness as you can.
Live your life deliberately.

Here’s my belief: People cannot give what they don’t have. If you don’t respect yourself, love yourself, and meet your needs for joy, how can you do the same for others? The holy saint is a happy saint.
Make your own Joy List today.
What makes you happy?
May your dreams come true,
Bo Sanchez

Here's my very own joy list, as inspired by this entry:
Counting my blessings...spending quality time with my kids and witnessing first-hand all of their milestones and achievements (big or small)...learning new things from Anissa, my soon-to-be teenageer...being silly with Sabine...(I hope to) spend more quality time with DH minus the kids...bonding with my parents and brother...being in touch regularly with my bestfriends and nurture the recent friendships I've made...pampering myself twice a month @ Nail Loft and getting weekly massages at home to de-stress...blogging...shopping!...taking pictures and capturing precious moments...chatting on the net with people i don't get to see often...reading old letters kept in my Letter Box (from DH, my parents, Anissa, whoever)...going through old photos and albums...watching movies preferably in the comforts of my bedroom and reading one good book a quarter...ME time spent in Starbucks with a Grande Iced Cafe Mocha and the latest issue of any fashion magazine...the list can go on and on but don't let me rattle off --- it's your turn! Try making your very own Joy List now and see how it can greatly improve your mood as it did mine.