The time when…

What’s your favorite time of day?

I’m quite sure that I don’t have a fixed time of the day that I enjoy most. I’m neither a morning person nor a night owl. I can be either when the situation calls for it. There doesn’t feel like a particular effort for either!

I know from observation of self that I do have times when I feel a deep sense of joy. I can broadly categorise these as follows:

When I feel a sense of oneness with myself. This can happen at any time of the day. Often it happens when I’m out for a walk with my pooch, Gamora. Gamora is delightful. When we go to the park, she becomes a burst of energy. Initially, I feel like I need to manage that and get her calm. But once we hit that calm and our walk is in stride, then it’s perfection. I feel that I can take in all the colours of nature within the park. It tends to feel like all the flowers pop, and even the sounds of squirrels and whatnots are pleasantly playing in the background. I don’t have any outside noise in my mind, and I love the focus on what matters most to me- usually it’s remembering God’s goodness, the calmness of my breathing, the joyfulness in Gamora’s step, and our glorious park coming alive.

When I’m anticipating the arrival of family or friends into my home. When my parents were alive, I especially enjoyed the times we had get togethers in our home with family and friends. This feels like a big part of my DNA. Even a friend saying they’re dropping in for a coffee, makes the time feel special and fulfilling. It doesn’t have to be a grand celebration. These days, my parents are no longer with me, and home feels so quiet every single day. That is until I know someone’s popping by. Then it feels like my home feels a sense of joy once again. I love welcoming my family and friends. The build up to their arrival is wonderful and is always a good time.

When I’m in my garden with Gamora. Little Gamora features again. After my dad’s passing in 2023, I started doing a bit more gardening. He was always the one who managed the garden, and I never felt inclined. Now, I enjoy the times I go into the garden just to water the plants and throw the ball around for Gamora. She’s so silly. All I need to say is ‘Will you help me?’ And she’s off! She’s ready to do whatever- and as I water the plants, her help includes bringing me the ball to throw for her to chase, and barking at pigeons or any other pest that tries to come into our garden. Sometimes, she stops and smells the flowers, though I worry about that one. When she does that, she also has the tendency of biting off every flower and laying it by the pot. She makes me laugh when she does that because she seems so pleased by her efforts.

When I’m working on something and it’s all coming together. This is one of the best feelings ever! When I was in legal practice, it would be when the research showed me something I needed or when an argument started to form clearly in my mind. When I taught English, it was when I fell in love with the lesson I was prepping. When I moved into corporate training, it was a similar feeling – I get so pleased with something I’ve prepped. When I’m coaching, it’s when I’m reading up on how to be a better coach or finding that I’ve been truly present with a client. That gives me such joy!

My favourite times of the day don’t depend on clocks. They depend on the heart!