Essential Takeaway: Brace yourself.
This last year has been filled many health challenges for me. These have made it difficult for me to find joy in my daily life. One of the many things I have experienced is varicose veins. Nothing is normal or average for me when it comes to medical things. You might say I’m a medical wonder. My varicose veins are very high up on my right thigh. This is “unusual”. As it turns out, “average” varicose vein sufferers get to buy and wear cute compression knee high socks that help with their veins. Those socks won’t do me any good at all. I have to wear a compression brace on my thigh. I always have one on now. If I miss a day, I don’t tend to notice a difference. If I miss two days in a row, I start to notice something, but don’t always remember it’s the brace I’m missing. If I’ve missed 3 days in a row, simple tasks become rather painful making joy a hard thing to feel. I’ve noticed the same pattern with scripture reading. When I miss a day, I don’t notice much. A second day in a row I start to notice something is off, but I can’t always place what it is I’m missing. By the 3rd or 4th day in a row of missed scripture reading, simple tasks and decisions become really painful, difficult, and joyless. Sister Bingham said in October 2017 “Daily reading of scripture and pondering the words of living prophets, engaging in meaningful personal prayer, mindfully partaking of the sacrament each week, giving service as the Savior would-each of these simple activities becomes a building block for a joyful life.” I need to brace myself for the day and fight frustration and even depression by doing what Sister Bingham suggests to find joy and feel “braced” for the day. What helps you find joy?
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