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The infectious quality of joy lies within

"Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls." Mother Theresa

I had someone say to me the other day that this world has no joy. Just sit with that one for a minute. No joy? Doesn’t that sound hopeless? I was left with this empty feeling in my heart and her words have reverberated in my head ever since. No joy? How sad is that? 

I think that she was referring to the relentless negative news that fills our newsfeeds and how beat down she felt by it all. The media - mainstream or social - is a constant barrage of all that is wrong with the world. Climate change/natural disasters, sexual predators, shootings, animal cruelty, war, insane dictators armed with nuclear weapons....it just goes on and on. If you focus on all of that then I can imagine how one might feel there is no joy in the world.

A few years ago, I bought a mantra band that says, “Choose Joy.” I wear it often as a reminder that joy is a choice. It's not something you should take for granted and it’s definitely not something that you should wait around for it to show up.

Joy is a result, aka: an emotion, caused by some human experience. The Merriam Webster dictionary defines joy as an emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune by the prospect of possessing what one desires. I think that within that definition lies people’s misunderstanding of joy.

I believe that joy isn’t something you experience only as a result of your own well-being, success, or good fortune. I believe that you can watch someone else succeed or experience good fortune and feel joy. Animals are a good example of joy being experienced through another. Watching my dog roll around in the snow gives me pure joy because he looks so happy doing it!

The act of giving can bring you joy too, and it can be infectious. For example, when people pay for someone’s order behind them in the drive through restaurant. Just knowing that the stranger behind you will experience joy when they hear that their order has been paid for can leave you feeling joy all day long. The fact that you “gave” joy to someone else often causes them to want to give that feeling to another, and so on and so on.

I feel joy most when watching my kids play sports. I can practically feel my heart expand with joy watching them get a goal or a hit or a basket. It's such a strong feeling that can often bring me to tears because the joy is so overwhelming. Music also gives me joy, especially when I’m driving and a great tune comes on. I turn the radio up and sing loudly, even if I don't know all the words. When I’m cooking and a great song comes on, I can’t help but dance! When the song ends, I’m breathless and smiling and I feel so full of joy. Reading a great book can bring me joy too. Most recently, I read “A Man Called Ove.” If you want to feel pure joy, read that book. It is a heartwarming story full of characters that will stay with you long after you finish it. 

Those are just some examples, but I’m sure if you think about it, you could come up with at least three things that give you joy. Next, try to figure out the last time you experienced those things. Joy is like gratitude, you have to practice it. If you aren’t experiencing joy in your life, it’s because you aren’t allowing it to enter into your sphere of consciousness.

Joy might seem like a small, three-letter, insignificant word but it can bring tremendous feelings of happiness and hope with an infectious quality. So pay attention to what gives you joy and go do it! Give it! Share it!

And please, let me know what gives you joy. I’d love to hear from you.

As ever, and Namaste.


Kathy

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