Being a Gen X girlie, the quote from Ferris Bueller, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”  plays in my mind often.  And while this little quote is true, I also find it true that what you do look for, you find. I know in my life that if I am not looking for and cultivating joy, especially in today’s world, I can miss it.  

This summer was all about cultivating joy and creating experiences with the people I love that bring me happiness, love, and a little hope for life.  I did a lot of crafting this summer with my kids, learning new skills and laughing at ourselves when we didn’t quite get it right. We enjoyed our summer season tickets to the Hollywood Bowl, spending the warm summer nights under the stars listening to some of our favorite stars.  We also went to a few summer music nights at our local botanical gardens.  

On this particular night, a Beatles cover band was playing, so with some dear friends, we packed up a little picnic and headed over to the Huntington Gardens.  It was a joyful night, listening to live music and just being with good friends.  

I took my trusty Yashica T4 with me.  She is a perfect companion on nights like these.  She is easy enough for everyone to use and does well in any lighting condition.  And in my quest to cultivate and search for joy, I’ve found shooting film to be the perfect tool. Weeks after your experience, you have a little reminder of the happiness you and your people created together.  It is something tangible to hold onto and share with others. It brought an extra giggle when I realized I had the date set to on and I had forgotten to set it to the correct date.  

How have you been looking for joy this summer?  I hope you are capturing the moments and coming back to them when your heart needs a little lift.  
~Staci Lee