Today’s Daily Stoic writing prompt: Can I seek joy today in purpose, excellence, and duty?

Today, and every day. Today I experienced joy in making someone else happy with the thing I had created. I experienced joy in seeing my hard work going to improving something I care about. I experienced joy in doing my job well.

But I also find joy in simply walking through the park on a sunny day, under a blue sky with mild breezes. I find joy in music–and in music that expresses a wide variety of emotions, because life isn’t always the “Ode to Joy.” And the joy in these things is in acknowledging that I get to experience them, and to never forget what a privilege and gift this is.

Today, as my memories feed starts to fill with Pennsics past, I rejoice, because I took time to pause at the last one and to acknowledge the special place that it held for me, that each time I passed that way was a gift, one that should never be taken for granted.

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Because apparently I get obsessive when I get stuck on a topic, here is a fascinating podcast about a little-known episode at the 2000 Olympics women’s all-around gymnastics competition, where setting the horse for the vault 2 inches too low led to disaster–which, luckily, did not lead to serious injuries.

Definitely a pre-long weekend day. Meetings getting cancelled or postponed until next week. People heading out early (my manager, in fact, more or less encouraging everyone to do it). Got in a nice walk over the lunch hour. The weather was gorgeous today–barely even 20 C out.

Second proofing run for DSCH Journal done. I suspect that should do it. This time it was really tightly compressed within a couple of days, which worked well for me given that SMASH was over.

Speaking of SMASH, I’m eagerly awaiting the results of both that and the An Tir challenge.

Blue wool vest (to wear with my 30s pants) now cut out. I used the double-breasted men’s pattern I picked up at Value Village in Brantford. Since it’s only three pieces, it looks like it might just be the easiest vest pattern yet. There’s also a necktie pattern in there that looks promising.

Tomorrow will be a day of visiting friends. I’ve prepped some embroidery to take with me – I expect the current Cat of Brutalism will go fairly quickly, and then I’ll be ready for the next one, so it’s sketched out and ready to go.