Finding Joy in the Journey - Let Why Lead

I'm so excited to introduce to you this week in Finding Joy in the Journey, Erica from Let Why Lead. Erica writes one of the most thought provoking and inspiring blog. I consider her a mentor and an example. I hope you'll love her words as much as I do.... 

There's this moment sometimes. When you're exploring.

When you pull your car off and park on the side of a road just because you saw something cool. It wasn't planned, and it probably couldn't be recreated. Not just because of what happened but because of how you felt.

This happened to my family not too long ago, when we were on our way to a quiet apple orchard, with visions of apple pie baking in the oven later that night.

Suddenly we saw a flight of stairs carved into the cliffs and knew we had to stop. My husband, three kids and I picked our way down a beautiful path and then scampered over the rocks until we reached the water.

I started arf-arf-ing at the seals we could see on the rocks in the distance. (Because, I'm silly now.) Apparently I have a way with marine life, because several flopped off their rocks, and within minutes, we had about eight seals putting on a show, heads bobbing and fins flapping just yards in front of us.

If the whole experience magically happened to us again tomorrow, it most likely wouldn't feel the same.

It's that first-time, unplanned rush that you get when you explore. It's the feeling of being outside of time.

But there are other ways to capture this same feeling, this sense of being lost in play.

Think of how you felt when you saw your sister sprint down a field and score the winning goal.

Or when you stepped off your front porch in the early morning light—the whole neighborhood as quiet as the inside of your home—and headed out on a walk.

How about the last time you realized that you and a friend had been talking much longer than you planned. 

Those moments—that rush—is there. It's the joy in the journey. We just have to keep hearts and eyes wide open.

Erica Layne writes Let Why Lead, a place for purposeful women. For regular reminders to step back and see the big picture of your life, connect with her on Facebook, Pinterest or at letwhylead.com.