WINSTON WEEKLY

September 13, 2026

Vol. 4, No. 37

SUNDAY THROWBACK[1]

Just a little over two years ago, I made a shift I had not expected. Since then, much of life has been filled with shifts I did not expect. Perhaps life has always been this way, and I am simply more aware of it now. Whatever the circumstances, I decided to return to a “throwback” of sorts and included a portion of a post from two years ago.

In Rebecca Winn’s book, One Hundred Daffodils, she says: “Moments of joy surround us. This endless striving in the pursuit of joy deprives us of exactly what we seek. It is the ability and willingness to find moments of joy in what is right before us that ensures we will find it. Believing joy is ‘somewhere ‘out there’ and focusing our effort and attention on trying to find it closes off joy rather than revealing it and is the path to frustration and disappointment. Our attachment to what we think we need to make us happy puts a veil over our ability to see the beauty of what is actually present.”

Having missed multiple summer activities for a variety of reasons, I realize I have found as much joy in the early hours of the morning as our uniquely wonderful rescue dog, Petra. The smell of morning dew. Rustling of the trees. The occasional fox and deer and plentiful squirrels and bunnies peering through our fence. They know better than to enter the yard where Petra resides. As wonderful as she is, her predator instinct remains alive and well. 

THIS WEEK’S ACTIVITY If you struggle with difficult moments, circumstances, events, or people, consider what you can gain from the phrase in Rebecca Winn’s book. For those who may not know or have forgotten, daffodils symbolize rebirth and new beginnings. Daffodils also symbolize creativity, resilience, forgiveness, energy, and hope. www.bouqs.com

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[1] Winston Weekly is a weekly blog and newsletter by Alysen Bayles of Bayles Connect: “Learn, live, love, read.”