When I was feeling kind of down at the beginning of October, I thought, “Why so blue? October can be such a delightful time of year on the island.”
To perk up my mood I set an intention for myself to keep track of the moments of the day when I felt charmed by something. It wouldn’t have the soberness of a gratitude list but at least once a day, for a month, I would keep an inventory of delights.
Each entry could be as short or as long as I wanted. No rules or expectations to keep me from wanting to jot down positive information.
I have participated for the last three years in an online drawing-a-day group in February. There is a wide range of talent in the group…
I found an old journal with the most recent entry from six years ago. There were other entries from earlier years, but I had not stuck with writing anything for more than two weeks at a time. The book had plenty of space left.
I really enjoyed reading those entries and wished there were more, but I seem to wander away from this kind of writing before it becomes a good habit.
Maybe keeping daily track of delightful things could get me back to writing more regularly. Even if it didn’t, I would still have the satisfaction of having stood by my 30-day commitment.
The definition of delight is “something that gives great pleasure.” I also think of it as something fleeting. If I don’t notice it the first time around it might be gone the next time I look.
On Oct. 1, with my eyes wide open, I couldn’t wait to start the journal. Six items made my list. Among them were: watching the last round of cardinal fledglings under the feeder, finding a pair of star-shaped earrings I hadn’t seen for a year, and chatting with my neighbor Cindy about saving seeds from the garden.
The nigella seeds were perfect for harvesting. There were many bird-related, light-related, and garden-related entries as you would expect from me. It was such a gorgeous month to be on the island.
On the days I went off island to get groceries and do other errands, I had little to record. I’m usually so driven to get everything done within the confines of the boat schedule that I’m only focused on my list, the traffic, and the time.
After one day of writing “nothing delightful to say about this day,” I resolved to have at least one thing to list for the remaining days of my challenge. I guess that’s the thing about delight. It can be easy to miss when you are distracted.
From experience I know that a 30-day challenge is not an overwhelming promise. I have participated for the last three years in an online drawing-a-day group in February. There is a wide range of talent in the group and we’re all supportive of each other’s efforts.
A bleak winter month goes by quickly when I carve out space every day for creativity. At the end of the month, I have the satisfaction of having steadily shown up for myself as I had hoped I would do, and I am back in the habit of working in my studio.
Completing the 30-day “delight challenge” has also given me a sense of accomplishment and hope that I will keep up with journal writing and keep looking for those delightful moments that happen all the time.
When I become overly worried about the world around me—the hate, the election, the wars, my ongoing bout of “walking pneumonia” that feels like it will never get better, I now have a month of journal entries to help balance my anxiety and to remind me that there are also wonderful little things happening right under my nose every day. I just need to pay more attention to the good.
That’s it for 2024. Thank you to everyone who reads and supports The Working Waterfront. My wish for us all is that we stay healthy, have relatively smooth holidays, and that the universe grants us the peaceful means to deal with our joy or disappointment in the election results.
Barbara Fernald lives and writes on Islesford (Little Cranbery Island). She may be contacted at Fernald244@gmail.com.
