Joy and Discovery!  What a combination, eh?  I am about to take off on my annual bike trip with my daughter.  It will be our 5th, and the weather looks good.  For the first time, we will leave the rain gear behind, and this year we are hoping that the heat doesn’t sideline us!  I’m planning to make “Joy and Discovery” the motto of our trip this year :-).

There is so much going on in our world… climate nuttiness all over, refugees, the craziness in the US, the uncertainly of the recent provincial elections in BC… you can create your list.  In this brief note before we leave tomorrow, I want to remind myself, and you, dear reader, of the advice once given on what this life is all about! 

It’s more than advice, actually.  The combo, joy and discovery, could be a world view, and not a bad one at that.  The first time I came across this phrase, it said, “Joy and Discovery, dude!” 🙂  That adds a bit of pizazz to an already rich combo :-).  We are always choosing our focus, where we put our attention.  When and if we choose Joy and Discovery, our world, let mebring it home and say, my world transforms.

I can feel it as I write these words.  It’s really an inside journey too.  The agitation around packing, choosing, right and wrong, time pressure, the crunchiness going on in my building right now, and the AGM that I will miss, all shift, settle.  Zoom out, as it were.  No longer loom so large.  My eyes open wider, my gaze broadens, my heart quickens, I soften and relax.  Joy and Discovery!  Bring it on.  We’ll deal with any challenges — missing maps, flats, misunderstandings, weather, traffic — all from this place!

Jill Schroder is the author of BECOMING: Journeying Toward Authenticity.  BECOMING is an invitation for self-reflection, and to mine our memorable moments for insights, meaning, and growth.  Check the website for a sample chapter, or see the reviews to get a flavor for the volume.  Follow me on Twitter, let’s be friends on Facebook