Life is busy. Really busy. It pulls us in a million directions, and sometimes it seems there is no time to do anything but check items off the to-do list and race to the next event/meeting/activity. But even with the lengthy to-do list and the packed calendar, if we want to keep our sanity, we need to stop. For joy!
Atlantic Ocean, Jekyll Island, Georgia
There are different things that bring people joy. For me, one of the things that brings me joy is being by the water. I don’t know if it’s the color, the movement, the reflections, or something else, but I find peace and joy by the water. Sometimes that means a whole day of sitting on the beach and looking at the waves, and those days are amazing. But in most busy times, this means a few minutes to soak it in and smile.
Missouri River, taken from Omaha, Nebraska, with Council Bluffs, Iowa on the other side
Before the pandemic, I used to travel for work. Mostly to Pennsylvania and Maryland, but work has also taken me as far south as Florida and as far west as Nebraska. It was on these travels that I found myself going out of my way to stop by the water, any water I could find. On some trips, I had a few hours to stop, sit, explore, and enjoy. But more often than not, it was a quick few minutes to look around, take a picture or two, and then hop back in the car.
Baltimore Inner Harbor, Fells Point Neighborhood
I have stood on the beach at Jekyll Island in Georgia, where the Atlantic Ocean lapped at my feet more like a lake than the ocean, as a storm rolled in from behind (a quick detour on my way from Jacksonville, Florida to Fort Stewart, Georgia). I have gazed across the Missouri River at Iowa, while my feet were firmly planted across the river in Nebraska (an extra hour of my day before hopping on a plane to head home). I enjoyed a lazy summer late afternoon on a water taxi on Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, the sun on my face and the wind blowing my hair as I relaxed after a busy work day. Joy was found in each of these places, waiting for me by the water.
On the backroads of Crisfield, Maryland
I have driven the backroads of Crisfield, Maryland, where the view of water can be found around any bend, and where main street ends at a dock that overlooks the Tangier Sound, which eventually makes its way to the Chesapeake Bay. (Crisfield was a double joy for me, a deliberate stop before a long journey home: not only is it on the water, but it is the setting for two of my favorite novels from childhood: Homecoming and Dicey’s Song by Cynthia Voigt. I will never forget driving into and around Crisfield as I listened to the audio tapes of those books, describing what I was finally seeing with my own eyes. The joy of my childhood brought into my adulthood!)
Tangier Sound, taken from the docks at the end of Main Street, Crisfield, Maryland (this picture is my computer wallpaper…it makes me smile every time I look at it!)
I have braved the biting winds of late January to stand on the shores of the Chesapeake, with the imposing Chesapeake Bay Bridge in the distance. That was definitely a QUICK stop to find joy at the water…it was one of the coldest days of the year!
Chesapeake Bay, taken from Stevensville, Maryland (the Chesapeake Bay Bridge is just out of view to the right of this picture)
I have soaked up the warmth of the sun on a beautiful May day on the shore of Lake Erie, in Avon Lake, Ohio, where the water of the great lake stretches for as far as the eye can see. I have gone out of my way to dine waterside on Miles River in St. Michael’s Maryland. And I have enjoyed a lazy “commute” home from Maryland to New Jersey, purposefully detouring to take the ferry from Lewes, Delaware, to Cape May, New Jersey.
Lake Erie, Avon Lake, Ohio
I’m so glad I stopped for those quick moments. Stopping by to soak up a view of the water meant I would be delayed in getting to my hotel and the inevitable barrage of emails waiting in my inbox, or it meant prolonging a long drive home (sometimes my travel would take me several hours), but it was worth it. Something that brings you joy is always worth it!
Miles River, St. Michael’s, Maryland
What can you do to stop for joy? Maybe it’s stopping to enjoy a cup of coffee. And I don’t mean sipping lukewarm coffee as you are running around doing a million things. I mean sit down, even for 5 minutes, to enjoy the flavor of the coffee and the feeling as the warm liquid works its way through your body and gives you energy for the day ahead.
The deck of the Cape May-Lewes Ferry, crossing the Delaware Bay before it spills into the Atlantic Ocean
Maybe it’s a 10 minute yoga session in your living room with your favorite YouTube yogi (I love Yoga with Adriene!). Ten minutes to relax, breathe, stretch, and connect to yourself and your body. Or maybe you have 20 minutes to settle in with a book you’ve been looking forward to. Whatever brings you joy…stop and do it, even for a minute!
A view of the water a little closer to home in Northwest New Jersey
If I only stopped to enjoy the water when I had plenty of time, I wouldn’t stop very often. Sure, some of my detours and stops were longer than others, but they were all slipped in between the responsibilities of long and busy work days. My long days spent in the car or the airport or the airplane were punctuated by these moments of joy, found by the water, on the edge of the country and the middle of the country and many beautiful, peaceful, joyful places in between. And of course now that I’m staying closer to home because of the pandemic, I seek out water (and joy!) closer to home. Decide what brings YOU joy, and stop to enjoy it. It will always be worth it!