depression

100 Ways to ENJOY THE (QUARANTINE) JOURNEY…

Enjoying the Journey with Harper 5 Comments

Greetings to you and your family!!! I know this is a very difficult time for us all. I pray that you are not only healed in your physical body, but that your spirit and mind are whole and at rest. That you combat the urge to fill your days with frustration, worry, doubt, fear and even boredom… And you supplement them with joy, peace and love. That you find your strength in faith, hope and the knowledge that God has us all in the palm of His hand and that we WILL overcome.

If you know anything about me, you know that I will find the sunshine in the storm. As difficult as it may seem, we all must do our best to ENJOY THE JOURNEY. A positive thing that has come from our time at home, is the level of creativity we’ve had to produce. It is a beautiful thing to see. We have had to create new activities to maintain a way of life that keeps us in good spirits. Just in case your “idea bank” is running low, I’ve created a list of possibilities you can explore. Whether by yourself, with your kids, spouse, or as a family, here are some activities that can help you and your loved ones continue to enjoy the journey, quarantine style…

  1. Make a COVID-19 time capsule
  2. Have a beautiful picture contest (post the pics online for friends to vote on a winner)
  3. Create jars of positive quotes on strips of paper (pick a new one to share each day)
  4. Catalog your personal COVID-19 journey with a daily journal
  5. Chalk paint the sidewalk
  6. Explore the US National Parks
  7. Look up “dream homes” for sale (Realtor.com, Redfin, Zillow, etc.) Present them to the family.
  8. Make homemade cloth face masks
  9. Use the Sky Map app to look at the stars and planets
  10. Make homemade granola/trail mix
  11. Create a vision board with old magazines
  12. Grab your favorite snacks and drive through beautiful neighborhoods
  13. Research new vacation destinations, (budget, location, activities, hotel etc.) Create a PowerPoint presentation to share with the family for future consideration.
  14. Create thematic playlists (working out, meditating, dancing, cruising etc.)
  15. Have a day at the salon “AT HOME” (do nails, hair, make-up etc.)
  16. Go near an airport and watch planes land and takeoff from the hood of your car (bring snacks and music of course)
  17. Have a weekly ZOOM bible study with your friends
  18. Have a family slumber party
  19. Plant some new trees/flowers/shrubs
  20. Write online reviews for restaurants, stores, products, services you have experienced
  21. Have a couple’s/family paint & sip (follow a YouTube/Pinterest for painting tutorial)
  22. Catalog your COVID-19 journey with a YouTube channel
  23. Have a family tea-party
  24. Walk and listen to a daily podcast (3-5 days a week)
  25. Have a spa day AT HOME (include candles, music, bubbles, oils etc.)
  26. Camp in the back yard
  27. Build a fort (let the kids sleep there😊)
  28. Order copies of the same book and have a family story/reading time
  29. Hand wash/wax the cars
  30. Build your own website
  31. Research potential college/universities to attend
  32. Write and distribute thank you cards to service, healthcare, education, etc. workers
  33. Collect and paint rocks
  34. Make some homemade jewelry (send to loved ones)
  35. Make new homemade dog food recipes
  36. Make family Tik Toks
  37. Have a family award ceremony (present each member with a special award)
  38. Start a virtual book club with your friends
  39. Create a new recipe catalog (exchange with friends online)
  40. Have a takeout date night picnic
  41. Make a scavenger hunt/indoor obstacle course
  42. Have a movie making contest (use iMovie, Videoshop etc.)
  43. Write a handwritten letter to a senior family member
  44. Take a virtual yoga class (YouTube)
  45. Invent a product/business or idea (write out the details and present them to your family)
  46. Complete a large puzzle
  47. Have a family/team bake-off
  48. Make a family scrapbook
  49. Make a bird-feeder (YouTube/Pinterest tutorial)
  50. Give your spouse a massage experience (candles, oils, aromas etc.)
  51. Make and play a family Kahoot game
  52. Make new shorts out of old jeans and sweatpants
  53. Have a themed movie night (Marvel, Rocky, The Karate Kid etc.)
  54. Update your resume
  55. Learn how to play chess. Have online competitions
  56. Create a poetry book
  57. Create a themed scripture list (faith, love, hope, friendship etc.)
  58. Write a funny or inspiring original COVID-19 themed song, rap or poem
  59. Have a family fashion show (include music 😊)
  60. Plant a garden
  61. Restyle your room
  62. Build a bonfire
  63. Make homemade hand sanitizer/shampoo/toothpaste/house cleaning products etc.
  64. Make a gratitude board or journal
  65. Have a family photo shoot
  66. Go on a hike/country walk
  67. Play board games/cards
  68. Have a family picnice
  69. Sightsee all over the world virtually
  70. Write and illustrate a children’s book
  71. Have a family sock/paper bag puppet show
  72. Make a coloring book
  73. Play frisbee
  74. Go fishing
  75. Make homemade popcorn experiment with various seasonings and flavors (i.e. smoked paprika, garlic Parmesan, dill pickle)
  76. Make a homemade facial/beauty mask
  77. Play charades
  78. Groom your dog
  79. Paint an accent wall
  80. Blast your music and have a family Soul Train line
  81. Have a karaoke/lip sync/rap battle party (YouTube)
  82. Have a water gun/balloon fight
  83. Scroll through your social media and post 10 things you love about one friend each day
  84. Watch a sunrise/sunset
  85. Create a family coffee/hot chocolate/tea/smoothie shop (try different brands, flavorings, toppings, etc.)
  86. Buy some coloring books and COLOR 😊 (have a family coloring contest)
  87. Make s’mores
  88. Get dressed up and have a fancy candlelight dinner (include music and dancing)
  89. Create a new bucket list (add a practical timeline to fulfill your list)
  90. Play flashlight tag/capture the flag/truth or dare
  91. Make and fly a kite
  92. Make slime/play dough
  93. Have a “YAY-DAY” celebrate anything/everything/anyone/everyone JUST BECAUSE
  94. Have a comedy night, watch stand-up comedy on YouTube
  95. Have a family magic show competition
  96. Play Tag/Hide and Seek/Red-Light Green-Light/Red Rover etc.
  97. Prepare a lesson/sermon (of your choice) and teach it to your family members (include a test after the lesson)
  98. Make a box/bag of items to donate
  99. Declutter/purge old content/apps/pictures from your electronic devices
  100. Experiment with temporary wild hair colors/braids/styles

Forgiving Mom…

Enjoying the Journey with Harper 7 Comments

I recently had the honor of speaking at a Women’s Day event at a church in my area. There, in front of a few hundred amazing ladies, I was able to share my testimony and some of the amazing ways God has been so faithful in my life. It was a great time of fellowship, celebration, food, fun and most of all, love. At the conclusion of the event, I was able to exchange with some of the ladies one on one. They opened up and shared some of their testimonies with me. They noted many of the commonalities we had in our stories. One topic that kept coming up in my discussions was the many women affected by “mom hurt.” What is mom hurt, you say? It is the hurt many encounter during a painful childhood, mostly due to a difficult experience with their mom.

As we approach Mother’s Day, I’d like to address this issue head on. I realize it is a REAL pain. Though many women have had a wonderful relationship with their mother; she was supportive, caring, loving etc. SO many women/men have experienced the opposite. Perhaps their mom wasn’t around. She abandoned them during their childhood. She put them second to a career, addiction, boyfriends etc. Whatever the case, she did not perform her duties/responsibilities to THEIR standards. And of course, THOSE standards are the “normal,” reasonable expectations that should come very naturally to ANY mother. I GET IT!

But what if those typical/normal/reasonable standards DIDN’T come naturally to her? What if she TRULY did the BEST she knew during that time? What if, she was completely consumed with immaturity, selfishness, greed, etc.??? What if she was only doing what was done to her? What if the pain she inflicted on her children was not intentional? And even still, what if she DID know how badly she was behaving, but did it anyway? That HORRIBLE mom is not worthy of love, honor, respect, or ESPECIALLY forgiveness. I mean, LOOK AT ALL THE PAIN SHE CAUSED!!!!

I can TOTALLY relate to these feelings. My mother-daughter childhood experience was interrupted by some of the very things I mentioned earlier; like addiction, neglect, abuse and abandonment, and it had some MAJORLY devastating impacts on my life. However, a wise person once told me, you can’t expect someone to give you what they don’t have. It is like walking up to a friend and asking them for $1,000, but all they have is $400. Because it seems NORMAL for us all to have $1000 on hand, does it give us a pass to lay in perpetual bitterness? Gloom? Doom? If they only have $400? “I mean, if they had $1000 to give me, I would be SOOOO much better off.” “What in the world can I POSSIBLY do with only $400????” “I NEED ALL $1000!!!!!!”

Many people today have suffered YEARS of pain, frustration, bitterness and unforgiveness because a mom did not live up to the expectation she was charged to fulfill. Though this can have a major impact on the life and welfare of children, it does not give ANYONE a license for a lifetime of unforgiveness.  As we grow older, we can find healing and ways to repair the brokenness caused by a negligent mother. When we accept a relationship with Christ, He can fill the holes and suffering left from our painful encounters. He can and will send replacements for the loneliness and sense of abandonment, to where the absence of a loving mother will seem insignificant. However, we block His hand when we choose to hold on to feelings of resentment, revenge, anger and bitterness.

If we simply consider the scripture, we have no choice but to forgive our mom. “You have NO idea what my mom did to me!!!” You say. Though I have not been in your situation, I DO understand how you feel. As children, our moms take up the greatest real estate in our heart. They are the givers of life. They are supposed to love us like no other. They are supposed to cherish us and sacrifice their very life so that we become all God has called us to be. I DO UNDERSTAND THAT. However, we are called to honor our parents. We are called to walk in love, even when that person has hurt us deeply.

After YEARS of a strained relationship, my mother and I are restoring a beautiful bond. It has not been easy, but true love and forgiveness has guided our hearts to mend and repair what was once broken. I am so grateful my kids get to see my mother at her BEST. That I get to enjoy a renewed exchange while we are both mature, healthy, and whole. That we get to share this beautiful time together free of residue or expectation.

The relationship between a mother and child is paramount. There is nothing like it. When it is damaged, it can hurt like no other. And though it can cause some major scars, God is the ultimate plastic surgeon. It is nothing that can’t be repaired.  Surely, you may never be best friends, go over each other’s house every day, or even do the things you once did. Nevertheless, I pray you get your heart to a place of forgiveness. Where your current day or future success and happiness are not hindered by hate or anger. Where you are not plagued by the expectations that weren’t met in your life. That you no longer hold her accountable for unpleasant outcomes you endured. And that you release her from the bondage of your grief. Instead, may you seek love freely given by the greatest healer. May you let HIM heal your wounds and fill your heart with the greatest love of all. And may you go on to Mother from a place of grace and peace, because no person, encounter or thing has the power to stop you from enjoying every drip drop of your amazing journey!!! BLESSINGS TO YOU!!! HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!!!

SEASONS CHANGE…

Enjoying the Journey with Harper 6 Comments

By now, we are all ready for Spring to hurry up and grace us with her presence. We’ve enjoyed our dose of snow and cool boots and sweet scarves. It is time for some sun shining, birds chirping and buds blooming. Interestingly, we all forget how we embraced the idea of November and December and Christmas and snow and holidays and family gatherings and all the great things that make winter a beautiful wonderland of sorts. We are now filled with the hopes of what a new season will bring. Nevertheless, by the time summer rolls around, temperatures rise to 90+ degrees, we will once again find ourselves crying the blues and looking ahead to what’s next.

How often do we have these same reflections in our daily lives? While single, we can’t WAIT for God to bless us with the perfect partner to share our lives with. We are thrilled about the new promotion we just got. We celebrate the monumental experience of buying our first home. And can’t even contain the joy of our first child. However, as the days go on, the tasks pile up, or even boredom sets in, we find ourselves looking forward to what’s next.

I certainly understand and subscribe to the idea of moving forward.  The future forecast always seems to bring about hope and growth and newness. However, where do these hopes of promise leave us in our current season? How do we not grow stale? Bored? Frustrated with the “right now”? How can we maintain our contentment and appreciation while we wait on the next season?

I remember when I was pregnant with my first child. I was SOOOO happy at the thought of carrying a life inside me. How miraculous!!! As time went on, I got bigger, well let’s say, HUGER and HUGER and tired and grumpy and when I tell you I couldn’t WAIT to deliver the baby… I COULDN’T WAIT!!! Speed along to his arrival, I was ELATED!!!! OMG!!! Happiest days of my life, right? OF COURSE. Then the real work began. The real commitment. I soon looked forward to toddler time… at least then he could walk and talk and do things on his own, right? UUUUGGGGHHH. That season brought about a whole new slew of challenges. Speed this along 17 years… As I sit here and consider that this same child is now a senior in high school, that he will be graduating in a few short months, and moving onto college to start a life of independence… What I wouldn’t give to see him walking around with drool running from his mouth, hobbling in his overalls with a saggy diaper…

Moral of the story is that as we look to brighter days and new seasons, whatever season of life we are in, good or bad, we have to know that the season WILL change, that things get better, that tough times don’t last always, that people grow, that increase will come, and spring is indeed on the way! We must know that every single day and every moment of our journey, good or bad is one to embrace, learn, and grow from, but most importantly, to enjoy.

This may be tough because some of us reading this right now are in the hardest of winters. Perhaps you are enduring a season of illness, a tough marriage, a financial hardship, a job you don’t like. I get it. However, you have to dig deep, and for some of us REAL DEEP, to see the lesson, the beauty, the growth and opportunities that lie in the moments of this part of our journey. How can we get better here? What tools will I gather for my next season? What can I do to enjoy this season right where I am?

As we look on with great expectation to the next chapter, it is so important that we not just endure this undesirable time in our life. We can’t fill our mind with thoughts of stress, depression, doubt, boredom, and gloom. Life is about seasons. While every day won’t be one on the mountain top, we can do our best to maintain a mountaintop outlook. We can see the beauty in the moment and focus on the good times we have. We can learn and grow during these seasons, so we can carry our new insight into our next season and share with others. If we are too busy focusing on the spring, we can miss out on the beauty of winter we were so excited about in the beginning. If you are single and desperately waiting to get married, ENJOY your freedom and not having to cater to or be responsible for another human. If you are a stay at home mom looking forward to getting back to work, though it is a challenging right now, ENJOY not having to get up every day and report to an office. If you are living in a tiny apartment and can’t wait to get your first home, ENJOY not cutting grass or having to heat such a large area. Or a new graduate, eager to start your first job, ENJOY not having to pay student loans and living with your parents during this last stretch of time…

As I look forward to my son graduating from high school, I realize these days won’t be here for long. I can only imagine how much I would miss if I wasn’t intentional about making every moment of this season count. While I am driving him to yet another senior obligation, early morning SAT exam, academic banquet, athletic event, I am careful to embrace the beauty of our time together. As you go about your season, I pray you can squeeze out moments that make you smile. Times to help you grow. Lessons you can take into your next season. That while you look forward to the what’s to come, you enjoy every drip drop of the portion of the journey you are on right now. This season will not last forever. Enjoy it while it’s here! Spring is on the way… 😊 🙂 🙂

CHOOSE JOY: How to Overcome a Season of The Blues… (My Journey Through The Valley)

Enjoying the Journey with Harper 1 Comment

Ok, so it has been a couple months since I posted. I wish I could tell you it was because I was out enjoying my journey to the fullest. But if I can be honest with you, it was actually just the opposite. I was in the dumps, overcoming the blues… my peace was under attack and I have to tell you, it was a major struggle. Though it took just about 2 months, now that I have come to see the light, so to speak, now that I am back, I want to share what I have learned from my experience. Because let’s face it, we all have our rough patches, walk through valleys, experience pain and drama and let downs. And though I consider myself one tough cookie, and a pretty happy person, sometimes, these occurrences/circumstances/ordeals/setbacks/rough patches can indeed try to steal our joy. Sometimes these situations are devastating and a mere “suck it up buttercup” just won’t do.

For an example, surely you can have a bad day at work, or a heated exchange with your spouse, or leave your favorite scarf at the restaurant, or your kid gets a bad grade on his report card and this can be super frustrating. However, you can make a few adjustments, take a few deep breaths and bounce back soon after. But what about the more devastating experiences???? The big blows that throw you off your rocker, that shake your entire world. Like a death of a loved one, a CONTINUAL exchange with your spouse, a child who is perpetually in trouble, a job loss, a bad medical report, etc… How can we overcome the devastation that comes with these situations, especially when there is minimal evidence the circumstance will change?

Well without going into the details of my ordeal, I will confide some of the ways I was able to get my joy back and how I plan to maintain it. First of all, I realized quickly that my mind was completely filled with sadness, frustration, and even anger. Once that happened, there was no room for me to see anything with the right perspective. EVERYTHING seemed wrong. Everyone was bad. My efforts were worthless. Nothing had value to me. There was a fog clouding my mind and because of it, my vision was blurred. My perspective was off. Regardless of the fact that I otherwise had a pretty great existence, I literally could not see that. I was consumed by my grief. Overwhelmed by my doubt. Immersed with fear and frustration. I WAS going to church, I WAS reading the bible, I was doing all that blah, blah, blah. But my situation was there every day looking at me in the face like a huge dark cloud of reality and all I could do was roll around in it with self-pity assuming it would never get better.

So, let’s start there. Let’s assume that your situation doesn’t get better. Maybe that child won’t come to his senses for 5 more years, the bankruptcy has left you with bad credit for 7 years, your spouse won’t get the job he’s been believing for for another 5 months… how can you keep your spirits up? I submit that though those situations can bring devastation to you and your need for control, your peace and joy cannot be contingent upon them getting better. Once I came to that realization, operation Get My Joy Back, was in full swing!!! Here are the four steps I took to help me stop, drop and roll out of my gloom.

  1. Eliminate the waste/Take out the trash: In order to get rid of my stinkin’ thinkin’ I had to get rid of the negative influences that were clouding my vision.  It wasn’t deep. I mean, I don’t hang around or have regular exposure to negative people, but I had to eliminate the subtle contact. Like the images on social media, some of the TV shows, the songs, news, and even the conversations with people who were regularly complaining about their own drama. It was too much. Some of those songs will have you ready to jump off the mountain you are supposed to be moving!!!! They will subliminally fill your head with images and ideas that are not related to you. For example, some of the regular commercials on TV will make you think EVERYONE is depressed, EVERYONE has cancer, EVERYONE’S man cheats on them!!!! SOOOOO NOT TRUE!!!! TURN IT ALL OFFFFFF!!!!! TUNE IT ALLLLL OUT!!!! Those images will only hinder your path to mental clarity and set you back miles on your journey.
  2. On the contrary, immerse your mind with positive: Pretend your mind is a cup. As much as you possibly can, overload that cup with positive images, messages, thoughts, words, ideas and people. During my time in the valley, I ordered 4 new books, read great magazines, followed several sites that uploaded positive quotes and images, watched a series of faith-based movies, listened to Joel Osteen every time I got in the car, listened to uplifting music and conversed with positive people.  It is SOOO easy to want to call your best buddy and unload your issue on them. Often times they will even help you sit in your stew. But I connected with a friend of mine who challenged me. Who encouraged me. She helped me lift my spirits and help me get my eyes on what was important. Surround yourself with positivity. Great sources that will help center your focus upward.
  3. Minister to yourself: I know this is so cliché, but I was on a plane recently and the flight attendant went through the whole spiel about “securing your oxygen mask FIRST before trying to take care of others’…” That really spoke to me. It is SOOOOO important that we minister to ourselves, not only during the tough times, but REGULARLY. I dare say, EVERY DAY!!!! During my frustration, I went to the movies, went on long walks, had some quiet book reading in the coffee shop, took long hot baths, went window shopping, baked, and even went on a weekend getaway with just myself. Whatever you enjoy doing, which more than likely, you have somehow forfeited… DO IT!!!! It is therapeutic. It is necessary. These are the things that help you ENJOY life and should not take a back seat to busyness. Furthermore, intentionally doing some of these things on a regular basis, is a great way to stay out of the rough patch.
  4. SEEK THE LORD: Jesus is the ultimate supplier of joy! Seek Him first thing every single day! I personally don’t answer a text, a call, open social media, exchange with humans at all until AFTER I pray and read the Word/devotional each morning. If you don’t have a daily regimen or don’t know where to start, Pray in the shower. Download the Bible App on your phone. Read a chapter of the bible a day. Find a devotional that ministers to you. Get a good bible based book. Whatever the case, I have found that no person, no thing, no idea, no quote, no method can renew my strength, feed my spirit, restore my joy like Jesus. No house, no spouse, no clothing, no weight loss, no achievement, no surgery, no drug, no degree, or pursuit can provide the lasting joy like a relationship with Christ. Once I surrendered my worry, doubt, frustration, fear, anger and sadness over to Him. Once I took my hands off the wheel and released the need for control, I was able to allow His peace, hope, joy, faith, and love to fill my heart completely. And the best part is, He was right there all along. When He has preeminence in your life, it is difficult for outside forces to get in…

Now. Does that mean that we will never experience a rough patch ever again? Of course not. But I am confident that as I used these steps to recover my joy, if I make them a regular practice, I can use them to maintain my joy, regardless what the circumstances are around me. No doubt life can be tough. We have a TON going on and so many things coming at us each day. However, joy is a choice. It is contingent upon nothing other than our decision to activate it… Here’s to getting back out there and making the decision to ENJOY EVERY DAY OF YOUR JOURNEY!!!! As for me… I CHOOSE JOY.

 

Photo cred: Stephanie Archer