I understand that most of us have found our “stride” in this still-challenging time.
But there are also moments when additional upsets – fairly ordinary difficulties that are now exacerbated by current conditions – begin to chip away at our resilience. This is especially a time for joy. That we should seek joy when circumstances are grim is not odd, not a dismissal of the gravity of a distressing situation; it is a way of seeking balance.
We can become attuned to the joy-potential around us, with a simple intention to lift our gaze now and then from the task at hand. I was gifted some unexpected joy scraps this week:
the smiling baby photo of my friend’s adorable grandson
exquisite soul-paintings in my favorite earth-tones
two varied thrushes who toss the soil in search of breakfast
beautiful Celtic-laced tunes at a virtual house concert
my neighbor’s puppy bouncing around the yard
the supportive conversation with one sister
the creative conversation with another sister
four handbell ringers energetically shifting positions as they played dozens of bells
an incredibly gorgeous teal color on a frog’s legs
a breeze that ruffled the thin tops of evergreens
three pungent whiffs of grass that came suddenly to baptize me again in Earth’s goodness
an unexpected kind note and photo of trees from a beautiful stranger in a distant land
and another coyote, not Wily, who came through the yard twice yesterday: prancing, playing, sniffing, and making direct eye contact with me. He did not run away when I said hello to him, nor did he threaten. We were just two beings, neighbors, greeting one another with respect, in beauty, and doing what we naturally do.
Creativity can be savored (our own or others’).
Kindness can be welcomed.
Nature can be honored.
… It is these small but utterly joyous moments that sustain,
that replenish with beauty,
that erode stress,
that add much-needed levity,
that remind us – even in difficult circumstances – that life wants to be embraced and noticed.
