Elle Rey📚

          Over the past few years, I have written all about the different journeys that I have been on. It started with my journey after grad school. I wanted to write about my experiences and record the moments that led to breaking into the workforce. It was a new chapter that I was excited to start. I couldn’t wait to see what life would look like after finally finishing grad school. Shortly after, life happened. My master’s degree didn’t open the doors that I thought it would. If anything, it made it harder because my education vs. experience level was so unbalanced. Unexpected twists and turns kept happening, and I was sinking mentally. It started to feel like I had less control over my life, and that’s when I started my “Chasing Peace” and “Chasing Happiness” journeys. I would write about my journey to finding peace and happiness in the midst of chaos. Fast forward a few more years, and now I’ve started a new journey… a divorce journey. Somehow, I’ve reached a new level of lost and confusion, that I have no idea what to expect next. After wrestling with myself and replaying past events over and over in my head, I started to reevaluate. So much has happened in the last few years.  What worked then might not work now.

          What I have gathered after a lot of reflecting during the past few months, is that moments of peace are easier to obtain than happiness. As I grow older the word happiness has a deeper meaning. There was a time when I grouped happiness and peace together, but I realized that most activities translated to peace. Walking on the beach on a breezy day as the sounds of the ocean waves fill my ears gives me peace. Reading while enjoying a cup of coffee gives me peace. Listening to an audiobook while coloring or taking a walk gives me peace. Painting while sipping on wine gives me peace. Watching a funny sitcom gives me peace. Playing a game that allows me to zone out and not think, gives me peace. There are so many things that give me moments of peace, but what I realized is that if you take most of those moments and add loved ones that’s when joy comes in.

          I realized that we need people more than we think we do, even us introverts. We might enjoy our alone time, but too much time alone is never good. Nothing is good in excess. I remember being in certain places alone. I would look out onto the horizon feeling a sense of peace and serenity, but I couldn’t help but think of how much fun I would be having if my sister or cousins were with me. We weren’t meant to be alone in this life. It’s our family and friends that fill our day with joy. I’m a person who has no problem catching a movie by myself or eating at a café or bistro alone. I’m extremely comfortable with my own company. However, there are moments when I’m looking for peace, and there are other times when I need joy. After so much grief, you need to experience more moments of bliss. It just so happens that joy and happiness go hand in hand with quality time with loved ones. It’s easy for me to separate myself and go into a long period of solitude, but if I want to fill my life with joy, I know I need to push myself and make more of an effort to spend time with loved ones. When you look back on all the memories that make you laugh or bring a smile to your face, why was the memory a joyous one? I bet other people were included in that memory. I’m sure that they were part of the reason for that smile. So, here’s to making more of those memories! Here’s to pushing through periods of isolation and making an effort to see people you love! Time flies, so make the most of the time you have. Live! Laugh! Love!