Where to find joy?
Isn’t it amazing that we have to find Joy? Where did your joy go? Did it get lost? How can you lose joy? Sometimes I wonder is joy really so elusive or is it that we have become so wrapped up in doing and having in our lives that being joyful gets lost in the shuffle? Do we feel we do not have enough time to be joyful in a day? Is it our last priority of the day? In this modern times of cell phones, faxes, the internet, emails and instant and quick gratification, have we lost the ability to hold still be grateful for what we have and be in that place of gratitude that will lead to joy? Remember joy is a feeling- when was the last time you allowed yourself to feel anything but stress and negative emotions? Maybe that is the root of this problem.
A wise man once pronounced-”Stop and smell the roses.” Maybe he was giving us direction to joy and happiness. When was the last time you stopped and smelled your roses? When was the last time- you sat on a park bench and watched children laughing and playing in a field? When was the last time you sat at the dinner table with your family and laughed without rushing through dinner ? When was the last time you dared to dream a passion-filled dream that was sparked by that inner place of joy? There are a myriad of ways to find joy as you can well see. Where you find joy is up to you and your personal experiences.
What can you do today to find and feel your joy? I recommend that you first look to your family. Yes, they can be the biggest stress in your life however they can also be the biggest source of joy- if you allow it to happen. Start with watching your children sleep, remember the day your spouse and you decided to get married, the day your children were born, the time when your son or daughter received an award in school or sports, etc… Can you see it can be quite easy?It is really not all that elusive.
When we bring those joyful emotions back they help us fill up and forget the stress of the day. Remember if you are not keeping your joy cup full - you can’t give joy. You can not give what you do not have or feel. And that is a fact!
Personally, I get divine joy from my family. Of course it has not always been this way however I have grown wiser over the years- thank God. I guess there is some advantages of growning more mature- I finally realized the importance of the rose statement. I have discovered that only I can be responsible for my own joy. I have a choice to experience it or not. It’s really up to me. For instance, my 2 year-old grandson feels my joy cup everytime he hugs me. They say grand children are our reward for not killing our children. Ha! There is sometime about the pure innocence of a child. He has not caused me stress and I have not caused him stress and the love and joy flows to each other with out limitations. Wow– wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could do that with everyone we hugged? Maybe if we stay opened to receive that type of joy with everyone we hug, that exchange would happen. In many instances, I feel that exchange with most of my family, however, not all the time. Who is blocking that from happening? Me. I can reject it or receive it. My choice and no others.
Like I mentioned earlier- your joy is up to you- you control it. You control how you feel. My wish for you in this new year is that you to put joy at the top of your list everyday. Then sit back and watch how your world will change for the better. Remember true success does not come without joy!
In Joy,
Vicki