A fun thing happened recently. 

I came into a Zoom session with a colleague and a friend a little hot and sweaty, because I've just come out of the sun. She asked me so why I was so hot, why was I sweating, and I told her:

Well, you know we are at the lake at the moment. I’m in my little converted shed we call my 'Zoom Room'. We have a little pontoon boat on the lake that we keep on a buoy on the lake during the summer months. Just before the meeting (that's the beauty of when you work for yourself, you can have a bit of pleasure and do some chores, and then go to your meetings in the little Zoom Room.) 

Just before the meeting, my wife and I went down to the boat to clean it, because you know, the little pontoon boat is our party boat, our living room on the water. And apparently it's not only us who are enjoying it, because some ducks or geese have decided this is a wonderful roosting place. They had a monster party on the boat. Now I have no problem with them having a party, but they pooped everywhere! Some were sitting on the steering wheel, so it fell on the instrument panel into all the nooks and crannies and crevices. Poop everywhere! On the seats! On the floor! It was just a joy to behold. 

Anyways, we had to go and scoop the poop and get rid of it. You've got to get it out of those nooks and crannies, then you sweep it off the boat and then you wash the boat. So it was quite a job. You get hot in the sun, and that is why I was sweating. 

But you know, I'm not worried or unhappy about this. This is 'scooping the poop' for something that I love doing. I love going out on the little boat. I love being in the sun. I love having my friends and family on board. I love all those things and the scooping of the poop is just part of the whole thing. 

A colleague and I were reminiscing about this. How many times are we supposed to 'scoop the poop' before we are able to arrive professionally prepared, 100% ready for the work in any job? In life there's something that you love doing, but there's always the background work of 'scooping of the poop' that makes this possible. If we can do our poop-scooping whilst thinking, how can I enjoy this? Even it’s not great, how can I make this part of the joy experience? We’ll be so much more joyful.

I will have so much more joy next time we're on the boat and we're with our friends and they're sitting there, clueless of what covered that very seat they are sitting on after the ducks had their party!

I hope you enjoyed my little “Scoop the Poop” Joy session. If you want to know more, follow me and invite your friends to do the same. Together we’ll spread the joy!

Until next week, have a great week!

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