So this lends itself to the occasional cafe, library, and sometimes, even coastal workday.
Something important to know about me is that I prioritize joy and happiness over everything else in life.
Some folks think this is nuts, others think it’s amazing — whatever anyone thinks...
I believe it’s one of those secret keys to life.
In my own life so far, I’ve had intimate experiences with grief.
Grief that swallows you whole, pain beyond comprehension, depression that sticks to you like tar, and many other negative emotions.
I’ve also witnessed them and their effects on those I care deeply about. Those are stories I’m sure we’ll get to in time.
But what those experiences taught me most, was this very simple realization: Our only jobs are to be happy.
To find the things that bring us joy, make us laugh, set our spirits alight.
The experiences that make our bodies feel lighter, so buoyant it feels as though we could lift off and float gleefully toward the sky.
Joy has a ripple effect.
It impacts everyone around you — you can’t stop it.
Ever hear an undeniably infectious laugh? Just the sound of their giggle would make you laugh, too.
Ever seen a smile that shone all the way up to someone’s eyes, flaring out like sunlight and touching every single person who witnessed it?
That’s the joy I’m talking about. The joy I prioritize.
That’s the joy that has the power to change the whole world.
So, today was one of those days I mentioned earlier — a coastal workday.
Sometimes, for us, this looks like taking our laptops and notebooks and finding a cozy little coastal cafe to hole up in for a few hours while we grind out some work on our computers.
Other days, like today, it looks like fishing.
A fluffly Little Blue Heron perched on an oyster & mussel-covered rock. He was very interested in us!
These are the days we always get the most work done.
When we take these days, something amazing happens in our brains.
They slow down, which is a true miracle in itself (Brandon has had diagnosed ADHD since he was a kid, and both of us are pretty sure I’m just a wildin’ undiagnosed lady running around managing 247 racing thoughts at all times).
But the other thing that happens?
We notice. We notice everything.
And we can’t shut up about it.
“Look, a MANATEE!” I’ll screech.
“Oh goody, another of your dolphin friends,” Brandon will sigh. (Dolphins are bad for fishing but excellent for joy.)
“GBH!” I’ll whisper. (Shorthand for Great Blue Heron, in case you didn't know.)
“An osprey!” Brandon will exclaim.
“How beautiful is the sun reflecting on the water right now?” I’ll observe.
“Everything is so quiet,” Brandon will say. “It’s so peaceful up here, but there’s a whole world going on under the water.”
Then, we imagine the intercostal super highway happening under the surface — mullet herding by over rays, jellyfish globbing alongside oysters, redfish darting in and out of the mullet herd.
All of them cackling at our attempts to catch them. Silly humans.
On these days, we always plan to listen to a podcast or book on the drive — about an hour and a half from where we live — but we never get there.
We spend the entire drive talking.
Connecting. Brainstorming business moves, troubleshooting client questions, working out kinks.
We sometimes end up making the biggest, most impactful decisions in our lives, relationships, and businesses on these days.
It’s a special kind of language and routine we’ve developed, and I think it’s another one of those keys to our success, both as a couple and as business owners.
At the end of a day like this, we always come back better than before.
Better than if we would have stayed home and “gotten the work done” (only to have inevitably finished our ‘task list’ early and spent the rest of the day watching TV on the couch).
Better than if we would have listened to the dozens of people — and our parents, god love ‘em — who suggested we get “real jobs” the hundreds of times they have over the years.
This is every day magic.
The simple act of changing locations when your soul is calling for it.
Doing the thing that doesn’t make logical sense, but makes intuitive sense.
And in my experience, when you take this opportunity, it works out every. Single. Time.
Why?
In this example with us, it’s because we prioritized what was truly important to us — to both of us — in life: Joy.
Everyone has their list. A hierarchy of priorities that make you you.
I’m talking beyond the innate human needs like food, water, shelter, etc.
The tenants that constitute a good life.
For me, it’s a collective of things like
access to healthy, fresh, delicious food
a job that I enjoy and makes me excited to go to work
the ability to express my creativity in a meaningful way
clear and open communication and explicit trust with my partner
a living environment I feel safe, comfortable, and inspired in
connection to the people I love and want to maintain relationships with
recreational access to open water, etc.
And at the top of that list is joy.
Without joy, none of those pieces work correctly. In fact, they don’t work at all.
This is how I create every day magic.
What’s that list for you?
Have you ever thought about it?
If not, I encourage you to do so. Or if you have, it’s the perfect time to revisit and see if your list is still the same.
What makes you hit the pillow and think, “Wow, what a great day.”
Or, even more basically, what moments make you stop and think, “That’s really nice.”
What makes you feel good?
What makes you feel amazing?
Where do you feel the most like yourself?
Asking those questions is how you start to get there.
Then, it’s all about noticing.
Where do those moments come up? When do you experience joy?
Write them down, keep them in a note on your phone, or a journal in your bag, whatever you’re most likely to actually use.
Once you feel like you’re in a routine of noticing, then you can start creating.
And that’s where the every day magic really starts to happen.
But we’ll talk more about that another time.
Until then, I hope you find the courage to notice what makes you you today.
It’s an essential key to unraveling the great mystery of life, and experiencing every day magic.
’Til next time!
xx,
Baylee ✨
P.S.
Remember: No matter how dark, dismal, or bleak it gets, there is always something to be grateful for. The sun always rises. And there is always a time to shine your light.
