Right Before My Eyes

“Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are.” Marianne Williamson

Things not looking so good you say? I’ve been reading “The Gifts of Imperfection” by Brene Brown. She talks about the difference between happiness and joy. We don’t always make a distinction here, but she does. She says that “Happiness is attached to external situations and events…joy seems to be constantly tethered to our hearts by spirit and gratitude”. This makes sense to me…and is a simple idea to guide us in experiencing more joy in our life. Who doesn’t want more joy?

The idea here is that joy emanates from our heart…and that joy, in its deepest sense…flows from a grateful heart. Not a heart that is grateful FOR anything in particular (read happiness), but a heart that is grateful just because…of how good things really are.

You see, we have this trumped-up and mis-informed idea of what joy is supposed to be. We have the view that our life is anything but joyful because we look at what we don’t have enough of…enough time, love, friends, power, recognition, understanding from others, peace, weekends, vacation, success, education, sex, freedom, exercise and, of course, money.

We have this belief that joy is elusive and so we search for it…expecting to find it only in the extraordinary. We might whine…but my life is just so ordinary!

Marianne Williamson is right about joy. I think she means that we experience joy when we feel gratefulness for the simple, the ordinary and the beautiful…right before our eyes. People who are joy filled are those who don’t wait for something to happen to recognize and feel grateful in as many moments as possible every day. They feel grateful for the ordinary…they practice gratefulness.

Today, feel grateful because of how good things really are…like…having a steaming cup of tea and a grilled cheese sandwich…being dry and warm…taking a hot shower…sharing a meal…watching rain…noticing the spring bulbs pushing through the earth…taking a nap…watching cats sleep…buying what you need at the grocery store…listening to birds…knowing that joy comes from practicing gratitude…for the ordinary.

Much love

Paula