The secret formula for happiness is to live your ordinary life, day by day, in an extraordinary way.
![girl lifting lantern to the sky](https://seasonedwithjoy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/0393F336-61F4-47F6-AAD9-F21196A2CF1B-683x1024.jpeg)
Life has all the tensions and worries that stop us noticing how sweet the world can be. It’s up to us to notice.
From the Movie About Time
It’s Not a Formula Really. It’s a Choice
to…
Love God with all your heart, soul, and mind and love your neighbor as yourself
Make eye contact
![two girls looking at each other behind cupcakes](https://seasonedwithjoy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/FD69EE88-E01F-4493-9735-0E9A5DD304C6-1024x768.jpeg)
Listen don’t just hear
Look around at what is always there but rarely seen
![yellow butterfly on a red flower](https://seasonedwithjoy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/IMG_6635-768x1024.jpeg)
Celebrate and encourage each forward step
Give and get presents
![](https://seasonedwithjoy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/a-flower-gift-683x1024.jpeg)
Embrace failure as a friend who is a teacher cheering you on toward greatness
Hold hands
![](https://seasonedwithjoy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/IMG_8302-1024x768.jpeg)
Kiss and snuggle often
Never miss an opportunity to say, “I love You.”
![2 woman posed by a stone heart that reads I love you](https://seasonedwithjoy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/IMG_7319-768x1024.jpeg)
Take a listening walk and really hear the sounds all around you
Walk through puddles
![reflection of a girl upside-down in a puddle](https://seasonedwithjoy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/IMG_1728-1024x683.jpeg)
Watch the sunrise and sunset and thank God for all the light in between
Pick wildflowers
![3 white pitchers with one filled with herbs and flowers](https://seasonedwithjoy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/EB415BE5-AB73-4957-BDBC-E9EA75B2C550_1_201_a-768x1024.jpeg)
Burn candles…lots of them
Make food from scratch
![children licking their lips over cinnamon rolls](https://seasonedwithjoy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/10CE6DDA-D80A-427B-8243-012CF2A19130-768x1024.jpg)
Get your hands in the dirt… grow your own food
Paint your dreams
![](https://seasonedwithjoy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/IMG_4426-1024x768.jpg)
![](https://seasonedwithjoy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/IMG_4427-1024x817.jpg)
Put the camera down and be a part of the picture
Giggle and laugh at least 100 times a day
![](https://seasonedwithjoy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/IMG_9920-1024x769.jpeg)
Put your smile on and embrace the day
Learn to communicate well. You will deal with people the rest of your life.
![kids in a three-legged race](https://seasonedwithjoy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/IMG_9756-1024x576.jpeg)
Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today. Live intentionally.
Discover “love notes” all around you
![a heart in the cement with cowboy boots](https://seasonedwithjoy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/IMG_2614-688x1024.jpeg)
Make your bed and shave your legs every day- you will have started each day successfully
Raise your own chickens and gather eggs every morning
![handful of farm fresh eggs](https://seasonedwithjoy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/IMG_4525-768x1024.jpg)
Earn more than you spend and invest the difference
Play: Twirl, dance, blow bubbles, swing…remember the joys of childhood
![black and white image of girl twirling](https://seasonedwithjoy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/IMG_1486-1024x683.jpeg)
![girl in aqua dress, whit tights, and black Mary Janes dancing](https://seasonedwithjoy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/IMG_1734-683x1024.jpeg)
![little girl with curly hair blowing bubbles](https://seasonedwithjoy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/IMG_2183-1024x683.jpeg)
![child on a swing at sunset](https://seasonedwithjoy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/3C91C15B-BE1E-4B9A-88DF-1F745131236A-768x1024.jpeg)
Never stop learning
Stay teachable. All the gifts, talents, abilities, and anointings will never make up for the lack of a humble and teachable spirit.
![little boy holding a baby chick](https://seasonedwithjoy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/IMG_6347-1-768x1024.jpg)
Remember, that without love we are only a noisy, irritating sound
Be the kind of friend you want someone to be to you
![two boys fishing by the pond](https://seasonedwithjoy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/IMG_0136-768x1024.jpeg)
Read a book a week and apply what you learn
Consider it a sacred duty to live a blessed life so you can be a blessing
![two children sipping from straws](https://seasonedwithjoy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/71A4EC4B-7B6D-4F8D-9AF5-4AE3A235207C-1024x1024.jpeg)
Learn another language
Discover the world through the eyes of a child
![mom and child looking at something smiling](https://seasonedwithjoy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/IMG_2174-683x1024.jpeg)
Play an instrument
Celebrate the victories of others
![girl and boy celebrating a victory with hands in the air](https://seasonedwithjoy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/IMG_3872-768x1024.jpg)
Turn off the TV and live your own adventure
Keep your body strong through movement, proper rest, and healthy, clean food
![steak salad with peppers ad greens](https://seasonedwithjoy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/F474547B-87D5-4699-8EF7-7D549C4C3377-1024x683.jpeg)
Keep hunger your servant because gluttony can be a cruel master
Declutter your life- say thank you and goodbye to the past.
Read a child a picture book
![older boy reading a book to his little brother on his lap](https://seasonedwithjoy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/D8DAA18C-CAFB-444F-A56A-53E63BB1D178-1024x1024.jpeg)
Include God in every detail of your life and you will never be without a friend
Enjoy the quiet moments in life with a cup of tea and biscotti
![mug with biscotti](https://seasonedwithjoy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/797DBD37-5267-4583-A27E-C445D112DD5C-768x1024.jpeg)
Never bring your phone on a date. Love the one in front of you.
Celebrate life. It is a gift. Every moment of it.
![old and young hands](https://seasonedwithjoy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/IMG_7625-1024x768.jpeg)
This post is dedicated to my grandma who was my friend and guide in this life. She celebrated all the victories with me, encouraged me to be all I could be, and offered me a safe place to be myself. She taught me to love God and my family, the importance of friendship, how to let go of the past, and to live each moment with purpose. Grandma, I will love and cherish you all the days of my life. I will continue to hear your voice as it echos from the wisdom I have gleaned from you. You will live on in my memory. Until we meet again. January 12, 1928-September 11, 2021
In everything you do -eat, play, and, love- may it always be Seasoned with Joy!
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To my sweet daughter who is filled with so much love. You have so many talents that God has blessed you with that you are sharing with the world. I know you are struggling with what life throws at you and yet you will not be shaken. Thank you for the love you have shared with my Mother, your Grandmother. We are so very proud of you! Love you Mudder Su Much…
So sweet. I needed this. Need to relearn how to do life from a place of rest.