Daily Manna: Chasing Joy

It is so important to find joy in every day. But I am realizing that joy won’t just naturally come to you; you have to look for it. You have to spend your day going out of yourself and find a little bit of joy and gratitude in the interactions you have, the people you’re with, and the places you go.

I used to write these daily manna/day in the life posts a few years ago as a way to get out of my “tent” so to speak and collect God’s blessings for the day (biblical reference in case you wanna look it up!)  

I thought I’d start doing them again as life has been crazy lately and I’ve been full of anxiety and worry and excitement all at once. I hope you enjoy these posts as much as I enjoy writing them!  

The past five or six days I’ve been getting up early to do my morning routine. I had been really disciplined about this earlier in the year and craved my mornings with Jesus, but like I said anxiety got in the way this summer and I found myself literally thinking “I have too many things to worry about...I don’t have time for my morning quiet time”...how crazy is that! That’s WHY we still need that time for prayer and reflection...because of all that worry and anxiety. I am so happy I’ve been able to implement it back into my day. This morning, I read a devotional and journaled about a Bible study I’ll be teaching this Friday at our youth group! 

Then, it was workout time.  I’ve been in a workout rut lately and decided to start a new program this week. It’s been so helpful for me to follow routine and structure again! I’m only using 8 pound weights (I used to use 12-20 lb dumbbells) because I lost a lot of my strength over the summer, but I’m determined to keep going and build that strength back up! 

Instead of being hard on myself for my loss of strength, I decided to be grateful that I can actually move my body, lift weights, and that I am blessed with a home and area to workout in. Looking for your manna or blessings in the midst of frustration can completely shift our mindset and help pull us out of it!

And then, it was breakfast time! I made this shake and it was delicious! 1/2 scoop vegan vanilla protein (love the one from Sprouts!), 1 scoop collagen peptides, 1/2 frozen banana, handful of spinach, 1 tsp peanut butter, and some ice and water/milk! I forgot to snap a picture when it was full and pretty, so this is what it looks like almost done when I got to work!

I work in a dialysis unit as a Renal Dietitian. The morning was filled with seeing patients, typing up notes, and catching up on emails. As most of you know, I am a working momma and leaving Emma at daycare has been hard on my mommy-heart. The past few months, I have been extra bitter about it, and it's effected my moods and the way I take care of myself. So, I have tried to make a conscious decision to be joyful even though this wouldn't be my ideal situation. At work, I get to use my talents and degree, collaborate with other adults and coworkers, serve and be a light to my patients, and I am able to contribute financially to my family. Again, this mindset shift and finding the JOY in being a working mom has been HUGE for me!

During my busy morning, I definitely needed snacks throughout the day so these were a few of them!

Even with all those snacks, I was hungry come lunch time! Lifting weights can do that to you! I prepped a burrito bowl for lunch with rice, pinto beans, and peppers, with some chips we had in the break room because why not?

It’s so funny how afternoons usually come with a dip of energy, but they are the busiest time of the workday for me! I had to fit this snack in between patients though because I was starving! Peaches have been hitting the spot this summer! 

I've also finally begun enjoying RX bars again! I love these things. We did however just find out that Emma has a cashew and walnut allergy, and while not all these bars have those nuts, I've still been super careful because they are manufactured on the same equipment. I've only been having nuts and nut bars at work (minus peanut butter, which is actually a legume) because she has zero reaction to peanuts thank goodness!) and then brushing my teeth before I go pick her up from school. Hey, at least my dental hygiene is getting a little extra boost!

Around 5:30pm, I left work and went to go pick up Emma, my favorite part of the day! She's been at a new school for the past month and so happy there, so that's been helping my heart as I miss her throughout the day. Once I pick her up, we usually get home and I either cook dinner or heat up food if I've meal prepped. Thank GOD this week, I meal prepped, so we enjoyed my low carb veggie lasagna for dinner! Which was more like a lasagna soup but still tasted amazing! 

and then....Emma had a meltdown. She only napped for 45 mins at school today, and she usually naps 2-3 hours. So we put her down to sleep and she was out by 7pm. My hubby and I settled down to a quiet night of some Netflix, reading, and an early night to bed! 

Even though it was a busy and somewhat stressful day, I had so many things to be grateful for! 

- a great morning quiet time and workout  

- a super productive day at work  

- cuddles with Emma before bed (once she calmed down!)  

- a quiet night resting at home!  

Always chase joy and look for the GOOD in your day...you’ll be glad you did!