She felt lonely and depressed, she said. As she relayed her feelings to me it became clear that she believed somewhere in the midst of her extremely demanding life – she had “lost her joy.”
“I understand,” I assured her. When I feel overwhelmed or unsuccessful in my goals, in the past, I have mistakenly associated those feelings with a loss of joy. I say “mistakenly” because I now have come to realize that sensation is a false narrative in my mind. Whatever my emotions may be in a single moment in time – good or bad – they are not indicative of my ability to access JOY.
JOY is always residing in a corner room somewhere in my complex brain. While chaotic circumstances and unwelcome life stresses may occasionally block the door, we can choose to clear the debris by shifting our focus from the complex to the simple.
Relishing one simple joy, like enjoying a cup of coffee while listening to relaxing music or taking a nature walk on a sunny day can completely change one’s perspective. Mental obstacles which block the ability to embrace a sense of calm, peace and joy slowly melt away by focusing on the smallest of pleasures.
• Allow your sense of smell to be enlivened with a whiff of sweet honeysuckle – a little breath of joy.
• Use your eyes to take in a gorgeous sunset and let the beauty of the colors fill your soul – a small vision of joy.
• Close your eyes and listen to the sweet song of the cardinal wooing his potential mate or the dove cooing in the trees just outside your window – a tiny symphony of joy.
So while you and I are spinning on this planet at 1000 miles per hour and the complexities of technological advances demand we update or get left behind . . . we must cling to the simple, smallest pleasures to experience our best lives. In our crazy complex lives – JOY is there for us to choose. It is that simple.
The Zen Den
Hello and welcome to The Zen Den. My name is Alison and while I am passionate about many things, my most inspiring driving force is human connection. Blogger, content writer, orthopedic exercise specialist, motivational speaker, international yoga pro, published songwriter, avid poker player, mom and wife are just a few of my titles. But when I do my job at NASA, I am known simply as “The Fairy Zenmother” a role I deeply love because people invite me into their space to help them find their center, relax and stretch their muscles and destress their mind. Here in the blogosphere version of The Zen Den, I invite you into my world where I will explore ideas for creating a better tomorrow and a kinder today. And hopefully, with insight, authenticity and humor; my words, observations and experiences will help you feel calm, centered, intellectually challenged and spiritually enlightened. Alternatively, if you have something you would like to see covered in The Zen Den, just let me know. Your feedback is welcome and valuable to the success of this blog. Finally, my heart is filled with gratitude to have this opportunity to share with all of you.
