Sunday, December 17, 2006

Joy

I heard a talk recently on looking for joy. Being aware of, and finding it in our lives.
I do not always feel joyful. I sometimes get in the mindset that my life is hard. It can certainly feel that way, especially when I am tired and frustrated.

Luckily, I don't have to look very far to find it. My boys are full of joy. Sure, they are full of LOTS of things, not all good, but joy is at the top of the list. They wake up every morning and can't wait to get out of bed. They run around with huge smiles on their faces. They take every opportunity to laugh and giggle and light up a room. I feel bad sometimes being the person who makes them slow down, and clean up and be quiet at times. It can be difficult to contain all that enthusiasm.
I hate to think that growing up somehow crushes that joy with responsibility and civility.

I am thankful that joy is still relatively easy to find in the world around us. Friends are inspiring. Creativity is contagious. Kindness is appreciated.
I had the opportunity to enjoy some amazing music by some very gifted musicians tonight. Live music always conveys a powerful kind of energy. The musicians were extremely talented, and the music was absolutely joyful.

Now I just need to work a little harder at finding the joy when I'm changing the gazillionth poopy diaper and The Bug has thrown his lunch on the floor and The Bee has run out the front door with a sock on one foot and his bib on his head!

3 comments:

Mrs. M said...

lol...I love the image of the Bee on high speed in his artfully dressed fashion!
Joy...your words hit home for me too. Sometimes I wonder what do I NOT have to feel joyful about & why am I so crabby?
Maybe this should be our mantra or song.." I got Joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart, down in my heart..."...the days of sunday school.

YoJo said...

Joy is eternally elusive...but if you feel even a moment of it, you realize why it is truly worth pursuing throughout a lifetime.

Peace Sweet Peas said...

I keep reminding myself - LIVE IN THE MOMENT. Maybe that's why they can experience joy so fully - our kids are living in the moment, completely, fully - the highs, the lows. I've also been giving myself quality time breaks which really help. I'll tell myself that for the next 5 minutes I'm not going to try and do anything else I'm just going to focus completely on the girls.