What’s your joy? What are the numerous people, places, and things that thrill your heart? What makes your spirit want to sing?
Have you ever met people who are so positive and bubbly that it made you wish to know their secret? Did you ask them, “What’s your joy?”
With that kind of joy in mind, let’s take a closer look at a precious young lady whom I recently interviewed. Her name is April Meade and she just may be one of the most joyful people on the planet. See if you can relate to any of the things that bring her such joy. (Once you’ve read the article, please leave a JOYFUL comment, thanks.)
A PIECE OF ART & A NOTE
It all started with art and a handwritten note. April made a piece of art, a fanciful blue mirror that she named “Narcissus”, for an annual art auction called Artopia. I won the piece and was so impressed by the attached note that I wanted to meet and learn more about the artist. The sweet and sincere words said she loves to make beautiful things and is honored that a stranger likes her work. Her joyful note touched my heart, so I reached out to ask her to name a place for us to meet.
HER CHOICE OF WHERE TO MEET
Emily at Honest Living.
She chose Honest Living Tea House and Café. Of course, this turned out to be a remarkably vibrant and joyful spot. It is full of herbs, tea, food, books, and musical instruments. There is also comfortable seating surrounded by walls full of locally made art. The lady who served us is Emily, one of the business partners. She is a big part of the joy at Honest Living.
THE MANY JOYS OF APRIL MEADE
Concerning art, April’s philosophy is to wait for the canvas to speak to her and tell her what to create. April said her next biggest joy is her best friend, Adriana.
She further states how nice it is to do gift giving and small acts of kindness for loved ones. The other things she discussed were drinks, food, her heritage, jobs, positivity, and places she loves to explore.
TRAVEL
That last one gave me the perfect opportunity to ask about travel and her current hometown of Tallahassee. She has lived in Tallahassee for six years and feels it is lively with tons of overlooked gems such as Lafayette Heritage Trail Park. She loves to visit Atlanta to see the jellyfish at the Georgia Aquarium. Her top bucket list travel spot is the Philippines, to learn more about her heritage on her mother’s side.
April says that she is both shy and an introvert. She credits her primary office job and her secondary bartending job with giving her the confidence to speak with people whom she otherwise would never have met. She believes that she is realistic, likes to comfort others, and tries to always give people the benefit of the doubt.
MESSAGE
Her message to the world is this, “Don’t take everything so personally because not everything is about you. However, be secure with who you are and always be true to yourself.”
DANG, Y’ALL… don’t you just love reading about folks like April? I sure do! (I can put you in touch with April if you request it.) Did this article help you reflect on what your joy is and how to increase it? Here are links to places that were mentioned. ARTOPIA (would love to see y’all at this event in June) https://bigbendcares.org/artopia/ HONEST LIVING TEA HOUSE AND CAFE https://www.facebook.com/HonestLivingLLC/ LAFAYETTE HERITAGE TRAIL PARK https://www.talgov.com/parks/parks-trail-lafayette VISIT TALLAHASSEE https://visittallahassee.com/visitor-services/ EMBRACE SOUTHERN STATES https://embracesouthernstates.com/
One more thing, be sure to watch her video here: https://www.instagram.com/embracesouthernstates/ NOW, leave your comment then GO FORTH AND BE JOYFUL Y’ALL !
