Find Your Joy: Rediscovering What You Love

I love to read, always have. But somewhere along the way, something changed.

Since I retired, I've had all the time in the world to read. And I have been reading—but mostly books I'd already read before. Old favorites. Familiar stories. Books I knew I loved.

Then one night, I picked up a book I'd never read before. And there it was.

I remembered how much I love getting lost in a good book.

I kept reading. One more chapter. Then another. I looked at the clock and suddenly it was midnight.

And my first thought was, I should really go to bed.

My second thought was, I'm retired.

How Do We Lose Things We Love?

That's what surprised me. Reading wasn't something new I'd discovered in retirement. I've loved books for as long as I can remember.

I even raised my kids without a TV for more than 20 years. They'll be happy to tell you how awful that was. My hope was that without a television constantly on, we'd read more.

But life gets busy. Work, family, responsibilities—all the things that need our attention start taking up more and more of it. Sometimes the things we love don't disappear. They just get pushed aside.

And maybe that's what happened with reading for me. I never stopped loving books. I just forgot how much joy they gave me.

What Did You Used to Love?

That got me thinking about all the other things we may have pushed aside over the years.

Maybe you used to garden. Paint. Dance. Bake. Play cards with friends. Work on old cars. Go fishing. Sew. Take pictures. Or sit on the porch with a book and completely lose track of time.

It could be something you haven't thought about in years.

And here's the thing—I don't think we always need to go looking for a new passion. Maybe there's an old one sitting there waiting for us.

What did you used to love doing just because you loved doing it?

Joy Doesn't Have to Accomplish Anything

Somewhere along the way, I think we get used to everything having a purpose.

We exercise for our health. We cook because we need to eat. We clean because, well, somebody has to. Even our hobbies can turn into projects with goals and deadlines.

But reading that night reminded me that something doesn't have to be productive to be worthwhile.

I wasn't learning a new skill. I wasn't checking something off a list. I wasn't doing anything that needed to be done.

I was just enjoying myself.

And maybe that's reason enough.

Maybe Joy Is Still There

I don't think I really “found” my joy in reading again. It had been there all along.

I just made room for it.

The same could be true of some of the things you've loved. They don't necessarily need to be replaced with something new. They may just need a little room in your life again.

As for me, I'm going to keep trying new books instead of always reaching for the familiar ones.

And if “one more chapter” turns into midnight?

I'm retired. I'll sleep in.