Stop Waiting for Joy

There is a slide I keep coming back to. It’s simple, almost blunt, and it cuts right through the noise. It says to schedule your fun first. Not after the deadlines. Not after the laundry. Not after everyone else has what they need. First.

Most of us don’t live that way. We work first. We handle responsibilities first. We put out fires, answer messages, check things off lists, juggle obligations, and hope that somewhere at the end of all that, we’ll stumble into a little free time. A moment to breathe. A spark of fun. But that moment rarely shows up. Life expands to fill every empty block on your calendar. Work creeps into evenings. Errands claim weekends. Responsibilities crowd out everything that isn’t essential.

In my case, health played a huge role too. It wasn’t only busyness that kept me from taking a real vacation for seven years. It was the days when I didn’t feel well enough, the stretches when my body needed care more than adventure, and the long seasons where health made everything feel heavier and harder to plan. When you’re working around symptoms, energy levels, or recovery, even something exciting can start to feel like one more thing to manage. So, I kept waiting. Waiting for a stretch of calm. Waiting for my body to cooperate. Waiting for the “right time.”

But the right time never magically appeared.

When I finally stepped away last week, on my first real vacation in seven years, something shifted. I realized how much I needed the break, and how long I’d been waiting on permission that wasn’t coming from anywhere but me. I also realized that protecting my health doesn’t mean avoiding joy. Sometimes the thing you need most is the thing you’ve been putting off.

Here’s the thing though. A real vacation is wonderful, but it isn’t the only way to feel restored. You do not have to pack a suitcase or hop on a plane to recharge. You can create joy right where you are, in ways that respect your body and your limits. Small joys count. They might even count more.

A new park close to home. A bookstore where you wander at your own pace. A local restaurant you’ve been curious about but never tried. A quiet night in with your favorite show and no guilt. A slow morning when you actually listen to what your body needs. A hobby you’ve ignored. A sunset you allow yourself to sit with, even for five minutes.

These moments matter. They build a life you enjoy, not just a life you manage.

That vacation woke me up. I don’t want to wait seven years again, and I don’t want health to be the reason I miss out on living. So now I’m starting to build joy into my schedule on purpose, in ways that work for me. Not just future trips, but the small, everyday things that remind me I’m more than my to do list and more than my symptoms. Even a tiny, planned moment can shift the whole tone of my week. It feels lighter. More balanced. More like my own life.

And that’s the key. You have to put joy on your calendar before the world steals your time. Because it will. Work doesn’t respect your boundaries unless you enforce them. Responsibilities don’t step aside to give you breathing room. And health challenges don’t mean you stop living. If anything, they make joy more important.

That’s why the advice on that slide matters. Book fun like meetings. Treat joy like it’s non-negotiable. Not optional. Not “if I have time and feel perfect.” Life rarely hands you perfect.

Planning happiness doesn’t make it less meaningful. It makes it possible.

So, here’s the reminder I’m giving myself and anyone who needs it. Stop waiting. Don’t wait seven years. Don’t wait for your checklist to disappear. Don’t wait for the mythical “slow week,” or for your health to behave perfectly. Joy doesn’t wander in by accident.

Claim it. Schedule it. Protect it.

Your life will feel more like a life and less like a list of responsibilities you’re trying to survive. Plan your fun first. You deserve that much.

And if planning a real vacation or even a quick getaway is something you want to do but don’t know where to start, let someone make it easy for you. Kristy with Mickey Guru Travel Co. is great at matching people with the kind of trip or break they’re dreaming about, whether it’s across the globe or just a few hours from home. Visit mickeyguru.com and let an expert help you find your next bit of joy.