Discovering Joy in Our Everyday Lives

None of us are strangers to our woes and struggles in life. In fact, we seem to know them, as we know an old friend. All day long the list of worries runs around in our heads - how tired we are, all the work we have to do, how little Johnny is failing math class, Fido has worms, we are behind on the car payments...the list goes on and on. 

It is a lot easier to focus on our woes than our joys. When we think of joy, we tend to think major, grandiose events or accomplishments - birthdays, graduations, maybe buying a new house or getting a promotion. We forget that each new day gifts us with a plethora of small joys as well. 

Through mindful practice, we can appreciate even the smallest joys in our daily lives. They are everywhere once be begin to search for them, to actively seek them out. We can manifest joy in our own lives, in any way we choose. Whatever form they come in - the fragrance rising from cup of hot tea, feeling the warmth of sunshine as we turn our face to the sun, the sound of unbridled laughter from a small child, or the glint of the "ocean's shine" as Mary Oliver writes in the poem below. 

As podcast guest Betty Dodson and I discuss in this week's episode: "no one can make us happy, no one can make us have joy, we need to make it for ourselves.” This week I encourage you to explore and capture the joys you create for yourself in your own life. 

~ Susan Lambert