What brings you joy? I want to share about 2 things that bring me joy. Neither of these are earth-shattering or important in the grand scheme of the universe, but they matter to me and that’s all that matters.
Number 1 - Coffee. Drinking good coffee brings me joy. I love making pour over coffee at home with fresh roasted coffee from distributers from all over the United States. I have a subscription to Trade Coffee and every 3 weeks I get a fresh pound of whole-bean coffee. I mean, caffeine is good. Part of my coffee joy is wrapped in that sweet, sweet caffeine rush but even if caffeine was not involved I would still love coffee.
The preparation of the ingredients, the flow and process of making pour over, and the taste of that first sip of fresh coffee is something the reason that I get up in the morning. I will literally wake up to make coffee. There are so many memories and feeling tied to the sights and smell of coffee, and those vibes bring me joy.
I’m almost (... almost) to the place where I won’t drink coffee from an instant coffee machine or pod machine. That coffee always tastes cheap and bitter. Now, I will (and do) make a cup of Keurig coffee when I need a caffeine boost, but the less I have to do that, the better. I’m not trying to bring any shame if you love your single-use coffee system, it just does not make good black coffee. Again, it’s the ceremony part of the pour over that means almost as much as the taste. The process and the flavors bring me joy, and that alone is worth it.
Number 2 - keyboards. I love keyboards. Typing is an integral part of my work and personal life and I my love of keyboard started when I went to college. I had recently got a MacBook (the old white MacBooks that are now so iconic), and had my first “desk setup” in my dorm room with a monitor, keyboard, and mouse. When I was a freshman in college, I still did not have a phone plan with texting, so I lived on AIM (AOL Instant Messenger for all you kids out there born after about 1992) and my girlfriend (who is now my wife) would chat for hours on AIM. Between all that typing and working on papers, I really began to enjoy trying different keyboard and finding what was best for my typing needs.
Over the last year, I have really expanded that interest to a small hobby. I have numerous keyboards now (enough for a daily rotation if desired) and I love how the different setups, colors, and switches make me feel. I have everything from an Apple Magic Keyboard (with the classic square keys) to ergonomic split keyboards, to various mechanical keyboard with different key switches. I have keyboards with click-y switches and some with quiet switches. I have keyboards for my iPads and keyboards for when I travel (remember travel?).
The sound of typing makes me happy. Writing every day has now becoming a tea ceremony of sorts. The sound, the feeling of the keys, the rhythm that writing creates is a soundtrack that plays as I type each day. The more that I write, the more I want to write. If you are struggling to do something that you really want to do, I would advise you to make it into a routine that you can enjoy. Don’t burden yourself with writing, make it an enjoyable and repeatable process. I don’t think I am a great writer (I don’t really even think I am a good writer), but the process of writing is more about what I’m growing into than the actual writing.
The writing is just the system for growth and change in my life. If anything comes from this writing, then I will celebrate those wins and movement. If no one ever reads these words, it still brought me joy to sit and type them on my new Magic Keyboard for my iPad Pro. That alone is worth the time. That brings me joy.
Number 1 - Coffee. Drinking good coffee brings me joy. I love making pour over coffee at home with fresh roasted coffee from distributers from all over the United States. I have a subscription to Trade Coffee and every 3 weeks I get a fresh pound of whole-bean coffee. I mean, caffeine is good. Part of my coffee joy is wrapped in that sweet, sweet caffeine rush but even if caffeine was not involved I would still love coffee.
The preparation of the ingredients, the flow and process of making pour over, and the taste of that first sip of fresh coffee is something the reason that I get up in the morning. I will literally wake up to make coffee. There are so many memories and feeling tied to the sights and smell of coffee, and those vibes bring me joy.
I’m almost (... almost) to the place where I won’t drink coffee from an instant coffee machine or pod machine. That coffee always tastes cheap and bitter. Now, I will (and do) make a cup of Keurig coffee when I need a caffeine boost, but the less I have to do that, the better. I’m not trying to bring any shame if you love your single-use coffee system, it just does not make good black coffee. Again, it’s the ceremony part of the pour over that means almost as much as the taste. The process and the flavors bring me joy, and that alone is worth it.
Number 2 - keyboards. I love keyboards. Typing is an integral part of my work and personal life and I my love of keyboard started when I went to college. I had recently got a MacBook (the old white MacBooks that are now so iconic), and had my first “desk setup” in my dorm room with a monitor, keyboard, and mouse. When I was a freshman in college, I still did not have a phone plan with texting, so I lived on AIM (AOL Instant Messenger for all you kids out there born after about 1992) and my girlfriend (who is now my wife) would chat for hours on AIM. Between all that typing and working on papers, I really began to enjoy trying different keyboard and finding what was best for my typing needs.
Over the last year, I have really expanded that interest to a small hobby. I have numerous keyboards now (enough for a daily rotation if desired) and I love how the different setups, colors, and switches make me feel. I have everything from an Apple Magic Keyboard (with the classic square keys) to ergonomic split keyboards, to various mechanical keyboard with different key switches. I have keyboards with click-y switches and some with quiet switches. I have keyboards for my iPads and keyboards for when I travel (remember travel?).
The sound of typing makes me happy. Writing every day has now becoming a tea ceremony of sorts. The sound, the feeling of the keys, the rhythm that writing creates is a soundtrack that plays as I type each day. The more that I write, the more I want to write. If you are struggling to do something that you really want to do, I would advise you to make it into a routine that you can enjoy. Don’t burden yourself with writing, make it an enjoyable and repeatable process. I don’t think I am a great writer (I don’t really even think I am a good writer), but the process of writing is more about what I’m growing into than the actual writing.
The writing is just the system for growth and change in my life. If anything comes from this writing, then I will celebrate those wins and movement. If no one ever reads these words, it still brought me joy to sit and type them on my new Magic Keyboard for my iPad Pro. That alone is worth the time. That brings me joy.