Joy to the World . . . and then some
“I do it for the joy it brings, cause I’m a joyful girl.’Cause the world owes us nothing, we owe each other the world.” Ani Difranco, American Singer, Song Writer, and Guitarist.
Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary says that joy is inspired by success, good fortune; or is a state of happiness. It also says joy is a source or cause of delight. That’s such a nice juicy happy word – delight. To me, it means laughter, happiness, giggles, hugs, and all kinds of loving things.
Some people have the gift of knowing they are happy – even delighted – at the moment they are experiencing that emotion. I envy them. Most of us look back and remember happy moments and that helps us recognize that We’ve had them. Some people are so busy looking for them they miss those moments. But some others – like the folks I met in Athens, Greece one year — have those moments nailed. They know they are happy exactly at the same moment that they are happy.
I once watched a Greek man I knew order dinner. He had worked hard all day, through his afternoon siesta, and on to ten p.m. when most Greeks finish working. Yet here he sat, totally relaxed, reading the menu aloud with joy. He was enjoying himself so much one would think it was a national holiday. He ordered food for his table like a potentate gathering up special bits for his favorite wife. It was so in the moment and so charming. Small wonder Zorba the Greek was so appealing and so believable.
I learned in Greece that living in the present moment is part of the path to joy.
Meditation for the Day
“When you wish someone joy, you wish them peace, love, prosperity, happiness… all the good things.” Maya Angelou, American Poet
Action for the Day
Today, I’ll try to live in the present. I’ll practice compartmentalizing my life so that I can live in the now – if only for an hour. And I’ll seek to make those present moments, no matter how brief, full of peace, pleasure, and laughter. I’ll laugh, talk and enjoy. Zorba wouldn’t wish me less.
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