When was the last time you were happy? I mean really happy. Laughing like a little kid, giddy can’t stop the feeling dancing happy? I realized something was missing in my life when I asked this question to myself and I really had to stop to think about it. When was the last time I was filled with pure joy or, maybe more importantly, allowed myself to feel joy in the moment?
Wow. I remember stopping dead in my tracks along a busy intersection turning against the tide of human traffic and looking at the the whirl of faces pass by me. I couldn’t remember. It was then, I embraced the moment and I allowed myself to feel the tears stinging my eyes. The joy of sadness.
How quickly we adapt and become numb to emotions, because it’s easier to process. When we have emotional messiness, it takes time to clean it up and figure it out. But we don’t have time anymore, or do we? What if we stopped for a moment to give ourselves the freedom to feel? To express and find joy in every moment?
It sounds silly, but it is profound. Embracing and finding joy in the moments transforms us. It gives us the allowance to process, feel, and acknowledge our beauty in life’s design.
How do you embrace the moment? Maybe it starts with something small. Sitting and enjoy a warm cup of your favorite tea or coffee, taking five minutes to write, going for a walk, trying a new class, feeling the breeze on your face, expressing frustration, or crying, yes crying! Joy by definition isn’t about being happy all the time. It’s simple definition according to Webster is: “The emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires.” Discovering the joy of new feelings and truths brings you back to your unique center. When you embrace the moment and ask yourself, “What is the joy of this moment?” Joy becomes the tool in self discovery and growth. I can attest it’s not easy asking yourself “What is the joy of this moment?” while crying in the middle of a busy intersection surrounded by people, but in doing so I was able to allow myself to feel the joy of release and discovering what my soul needed at that time to be fulfilled. I accepted where I was in the present and began the long overdue discussion I needed to have with myself.
There is joy in every moment. Do your best to explore and embrace the moments to see where they take you. It is my hope in doing so, you will discover the seeds of inspiration, joy and growth.