Tag Archives: Take Joy

Smile While You “Shut Up and Dance!”

Posted on April 27, 2015 by Jennifer Jensen

I was working on a different blog post, but this video has taken over my mind – and my smile.   If you need a bit of happy time today, this is for you!  (And as a bonus, how many of the movies can you name?) Doesn’t that make you just start dancing in your seat? While your toes are still tapping, I’ve got to get back to writing now.  So far, though, I see these movies in the video (in no particular order): Beetlejuice Get Smart Risky Business Flashdance (the newer version) Beauty and the Beast Happy Feet Mean Girls Mary Poppins Mamma Mia! Grease Saturday Night Fever Dirty Dancing Big Frozen The Sound of Music The Mask The Blues Brothers Enchanted West Side Story Puss n Boots There are a few more I know and can’t remember the names of, and even more that I haven’t seen.  Can you … Continue reading →

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I Need Some Whitespace in My Life

Posted on February 9, 2015 by Jennifer Jensen

Too much to do, too little time, too many deadlines, self-imposed or otherwise.  When things are so jammed up, it doesn’t take much to send you over the edge.  My mother thinks I don’t know this, but I do – it’s just that it’s hard to keep it from happening.  I’ll blog more about this later for Take Joy, but for now, here’s a piece I loved from Randy Ingermanson’s newsletter –  “stolen” with permission. Whitespace in Your Life Picture this scenario: You go to the refrigerator to get a jug of milk. Should be simple, right? What could go wrong? The refrigerator is packed. The milk is right there in front on the top shelf, wedged in between a pint of cottage cheese and some bottles of apple juice. You’re holding a glass in one hand and you reach up with the other to grab the milk. It’s wedged … Continue reading →

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TAKE JOY: Staying in the Moment

Posted on January 20, 2015 by Jennifer Jensen

No, that’s not a picture of my kitchen!  But anyone who knows me knows that I hate washing dishes. I do it when I must, but I’d much rather watch tv or read a book after dinner. While I love getting up to a clean kitchen in the morning, it never seems worth it the night before. So there I was, scrubbing the previous night’s pans and thinking about all the other things I could be doing. Writing. Organizing my office. Loafing on the couch with a book! Grumbling doesn’t help, I told myself. So my mind wandered to what was for dinner, how to solve a plot problem in Rescue, the fact that I needed to go to the bank for my son, and on and on.  You know, all the side-effects of a too-busy brain. And then a cardinal flew past the window. I watched him peck at … Continue reading →

Posted in Home & Family, TAKE JOY! | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Inseparable Partners: Joy and Gratitude

Posted on January 14, 2015 by Jennifer Jensen

We’ve heard it a million times: “Count your blessings.” Sometimes it’s said with a wry smile – “Count your blessings – things could be worse!” Sometimes it’s given as advice, as if being grateful for what we have will magically take away all our worries. Sometimes we roll our eyes and try not to hit the person who said it just carry on. But sometimes we take it into our hearts and are truly thankful for what we’ve been given.  And with that gratitude comes joy. If someone feels joy without being grateful, isn’t that really just a moment of pleasure? Climbing a mountain on a sunny day, or feeling the wind rush as you ski down a smooth, snowy slope, or warming yourself by a blazing fire – those are very pleasurable sensations, but without gratitude for the sunshine or your body’s physical ability, it isn’t true joy . … Continue reading →

Posted in Deep Thoughts, TAKE JOY! | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

My New Year’s Word is …

Posted on January 2, 2015 by Jennifer Jensen

I’ve already regaled you with why I don’t do New Year’s Resolutions anymore – are you ready for why I didn’t pick “balance” as my word for 2015? Reason #1: I’m too serious. Seriously! Reason #2: I spend too much time thinking. I’m always thinking of what’s coming up: What I’m cooking for dinner, what errands I need to run, what chores are waiting, what I’m going to blog about or what’s the next scene I’m writing in Shimmer 2. I think of how my children are doing (being a parent to adults is a whole nuther ballgame) and wonder what I can do to help. And wonder if I’m doing too much, poking my nose in where it doesn’t belong anymore. I study scriptures and try to figure out how to apply them in my life, which leads me to thinking about changes and sorting out what to do: … Continue reading →

Posted in Deep Thoughts, TAKE JOY! | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments