Inviting Joy
“Joy does not simply happen to us.
We have to choose joy
and keep choosing it every day.”
― Henri J.M. Nouwen
When I am facilitating workshops, or even in catch-ups with colleagues, there seems to be a theme that creeps up often for people: The missing of Joy in Life - or at work.
This weekend I had the pleasure to travel - to meet people, explore, hang-out, be joyful. Those moments are "special moments", we often capture them with a photo. I chose to be joyful when jumping in the extra cold ocean at Oriental Bay in Wellington and I was ready for joy when meeting a colleague for the first time in person after knowing her online for four years. I was acutely aware of the sensation of joy when lounging on bean bags in the sunshine with friends.
Does joy need a special occasion?
According to science, joy is a distinct positive emotion. There seems to be a correlation between gratitude and joy. In order to feel joy, one must notice the good that brings joy. Feelings of joy arise in circumstances perceived as safe, familiar, and requiring little personal effort. Joy is the pleasant state experienced when people have made progress toward important personal goals, especially when that progress turns out better than expected. Joy is described as feeling bright and light; even colours seem more vivid. Physical movements become more fluid.
Sounds good to me.
I remembered a poem from Donna Ashworth that has a different angle to the topic of joy than Mr. Nouwen above.
What is your approach? Choosing joy or being chosen by it? You may want to make your own study on joy this week.
How does joy feel to you?
In case you feel your load is too heavy at the moment to even seek for joy, you might want to lighten the load. Have a look at my playful approachherein the warm-up for one of my Mindful Yoga Classes if you feel like it. I was stumbling a bit at the beginning of that class, not finding the right passage in a book, but I decided to stay joyful.
Or read on, exploring joy:
JOY
Joy does not arrive with a fanfare,
on a red carpet strewn with the flowers of a perfect life.
Joy sneaks in, as you pour a cup of coffee,
watching the sun hit your favourite tree, just right.
And you usher joy away,
because you are not ready for it.
Your house is not as it must be,
for such a distinguished guest.
But joy cares nothing for your messy home,
or your bank-balance,
or your waistline, you see.
Joy is supposed to slither through the cracks of your imperfect life,
that’s how joy works.
You cannot invite her, you can only be ready when she appears.
And hug her with meaning,
because in this very moment,
joy chose you.
- Donna Ashworth
My invitation to you today:
- Take three calm breaths
- Ponder about how you can lighten the load on your shoulders (or your heart)
- As a next step, contemplate on what brings joy into your life (or read about joy)
- Think about the smallest step you could take today to invite joy.
- Notice how that feels
Have a joyous week. This is your time.
With love and a bouncing heart
Yours kindly
Mel
