Sunburst 04.25.11

I couldn’t resist sharing with you this floral burst of sunshine. It is one of the current residents on my kitchen table.

Wouldn’t it be lovely if you received a warm burst of joy everywhere you went today?

Wouldn’t it be even more lovely if you brought with you a warm burst of joy everywhere you went today?

And left little petals of love trailing in your wake?

Just a thought. xo

by Alice Popkorn / flickr

NOW, I have a job with potential, relationships I’m trying to forge, relationships I’m trying to rekindle and opportunities I wish to explore.

SIX MONTHS AGO, I was on the brink of bankruptcy, isolating myself from friends and contemplating the very real possibility I would have to uproot my life and move in with my mother to get back on my feet.

A YEAR AGO, I was in the depths of a pitch black despair, unable to go a day without crying, confronting recently-clarified childhood trauma, unemployed and utterly adrift.

18 MONTHS AGO, I was reeling in shock over the sudden death of a close friend, flirting with danger over the wrong guy, mourning the passing of my last remaining grandparent, extricating myself from one esteem-destroying job and entering another.

TWO YEARS AGO, I was concluding a contract writing gig for a major TV/Film studio, entangling myself with a sexy and irreparably damaged man, teetering on the edge of a mid-life crisis and wondering how in hell I’d gotten to where I was.

A lot can happen in six months.

Time does, indeed, heal all wounds – I have the scars to prove it.

And JOY is tangible.

TODAY, I cradle joy at my heart, facing outward. I can feel it, taste it, smell it.

I hope you’re savouring a little morsel of it as well, my lovelies. It is divine!

by Sharons Web/flickr

An amazing event happened yesterday as I was waiting in line at the post office. A man in front of me started dancing. He had on headphones. He wasn’t shabbily dressed, at least not for Hollywood. But he wasn’t just nodding to the tunes. He was FULL OUT GROOVING. And everyone else in line immediately averted their eyes, glanced nervously at each other and took a step back, including me.

And then, I was struck by a thought.

Why are we all reacting with a combination of fear, embarrassment and pity? Why are we assuming he must be some homeless dude off his meds?

Why does this man’s joyful dancing terrify us so, and make us so uncomfortable?

WHY AREN’T WE ALL DANCING WHILE WAITING IN LINE? Seems like a damn good use of our time…

If there had been any kids under the age of 5 in that line, I’ll bet they would have joined that man.

***

In the moment, as I looked around at the group of “adults” in which I found myself, I felt a little sad for all of us, for the exuberance and self-confidence we’d lost, for the self-consciousness and inhibition we’d somehow acquired.

I wished for a camera, to capture this man’s freedom. But then I caught sight of a woman ahead of me who was slyly attempting to record the line dancer with her iPhone.

She had a smirk on her face.

I wondered where her little video would surface, and with what kind of commentary. I had a sinking feeling the sentiment attached to the image would not be one of celebration but rather one of ridicule.

The man caught sight of her as well. His face suddenly sagged. He appeared to visibly shrink. He stopped moving. The music continued in his headphones but he became one of us, one of the expressionless adults standing in line.

It made me want to cry, to scream, to apologize, to encourage him to dance again, to dance in defiance myself.

But I did nothing.

And then a postal worker called out, “Next!” and the line moved forward and we all lost a chance for… something.

But I’m adding DANCING IN LINE to my list of intentions.

Would you have the courage to dance in line?

Can you think of three daily activities that consistently bring you joy?

What surprises me most as I addressed this question for myself is that I’ve come up with more than three things almost immediately. For the purposes of the exercise, I’ve adhered to the three item limit, but it’s incredibly reassuring to know that I have the luxury of CHOICE in deciding what to identify that consistently puts a smile on my face.

1. Meditating with my cat.
2. Steeping my morning cup of tea.
3. Slipping into my pjs at the end of the day.

Three simple, daily activities that I ALWAYS enjoy. They help me remember that no matter how frustrated I am with how any given day is going, it is NEVER all bad.

Isn't life just like a bowl of cherries?

So, what are three things that daily bring you joy?