Overcomplicating The Joys
Why do we do it? Why do we over-plan, over-prepare, over-react, over-complicate the things that bring us true and honest joy?
This thought came to me in the park one afternoon a few months ago. I dreamt of writing ballads about the way I was feeling as I observed humanity in perfect harmony. It flowed so effortlessly in my mind, and for the first time in a while, I felt eager to put pen to paper. Or in this case, fingers to keyboard… hello, 2025. But I didn’t. I overcomplicated the very nature of my excitement.
What I wanted to write didn’t feel good enough, too basic, and unoriginal. I overcomplicated this so much so that I refrained from doing anything about it altogether.
I think we often do that - shy away from something altogether because we struggle to believe that anything less than absolute perfection isn’t worth doing. (oh is that just me?) What is perfection anyway? We overcomplicate the mundane to strive for something that isn’t even attainable. The bubble that was the 2.6 mile loop of the park didn’t over-plan, over-prepare, over-react, or over-complicate their evening strolls… they all just showed up; dogs running, babies crying and drooling, tired parents catching up on the thirty minutes of together time they get for that day.
Remember when we first found out what bubbles were? or that we could erase things we wrote on a piece of paper? Or when we first got behind the wheel of a car? We were so in that moment, so in tune with the buzz of that moment that our minds and bodies were acting as one.
What a rare thing, our minds and bodies acting as one. I write this as I sit at my desk in between sessions, so desperately wanting to be rotting on my couch watching the newest season of my show. My mind and body in a small war with each other until I am able to get to the thing that I really want to do. Until I check off enough things on my list to allow myself to rest. But what if I just slowed down? What if I recognized that the sip of my hot vanilla chai was a moment of accepting a small joy in life? That the lunch break I had with my best friend where we vented and dreamed was a fraction of my day that felt like my version of perfect?
Our days are made up of tiny instances that may feel so insignificant because we are waiting for those massive, set aside in our calendar, PTO-taking, dream vacation worthy, overcomplicated joys, to make their grand entrances into our room and blow everything else out of the water…
…but then we forget about the evening stroll at the park. The sip of a hot vanilla chai. The sun setting perfectly on your commute home from work. Your dog putting its paw on you right when you needed it.
We over-plan, over-prepare, over-react, over-complicate the small moments when our minds and bodies are living in perfect harmony with each other, even if for a second. This feels very ‘stop and smell the roses-y’, and maybe it is a little. To be very honest, I feel like we spend a lot of our lives not even knowing that there are roses to smell. We’re too interested in the botanical garden visit planned two weeks from now that will have the biggest most beautiful roses.
In a time that feels so dark and unknown in our world, maybe it feels confusing to try and find joy. Maybe there are parts of us that are wondering what the point is, or feel selfish in finding moments of happiness when so many can only access survival instincts.
It feels like a privilege to live in alignment with your body and mind, to press play without hesitation, to find that serendipitous moment when you run into an old friend at the store, to spontaneously go on an afternoon walk in the park before the sun sets… and that’s because it is. To overcomplicate the very nature of our peace is to miss out on the experience of living.
Take care of yourselves 🫶🏻
