09/16/2023
On JOY, GRATITUDE AND THE ELUSIVE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESSā¦
So easily we fall into that Iago trance, that humdrum, sleepwalking state where we get up and do the things we must do, meet our responsibilities and then fall back asleep only to repeat day after day, week after weekā¦
So easily we get discouraged about things not being what we want them to, or people not acting or showing up the way we would like, our bodies falling Iāll or injured, or our businesses not being all that we want them to be. I had been struggling with injuries, illness, and then having my sweet Kitty also struggle with a tooth inflectionā¦
And I realized how easy it is to get discouraged and disconnected from our true expression.
And unless we are extremely conscious to stay AWAKE AND AWARE, this happens for all of usā¦
UNTIL, one dayā¦ out of the blue, without rhyme or reason we are GIVEN A SELFLESS GIFT, perhaps so small and we may miss itā¦ but if we pay attention, it may be enough to WAKE US, SHAKES US AWAKE FROM THE TRANCEā¦
I had been asking myself the question:
āIS MY SOUL HAPPY?āā¦.
And contemplating on what Happiness truly means..
Then YESTERDAY ā¦
I woke myself (and unfortunately my partner too) laughing, out loud, giggling, and couldnāt stop!
I canāt recall EVER waking up laughing so hard from a deep sleep and a silly dream!
Despite the disrupted sleep, I rushed to yoga and showed up 5 minutes late (yogis out there KNOW this is a BIG no, no)ā¦ as I peeked in the class, the room was absolutely packedā¦
And yet my teacher, despite a slightly disapproving nod, asked two students to move to make space for me in the part of the room I lost like to be in, and I was immediately filled with such a huge sense of GRATITUDE for her and the two students that so willingly moved their mat to make room for me.
I spent the rest of the class reflecting on how GRATEFUL I am to get to be in the class, to practice and move my body, that despite its injuries, aches and pains and imperfections it still allows me to move and do something I love so much.
And it WOKE ME UP to all the little gifts we receive each day from loved ones and strangers alike that we fail to acknowledge.
It attuned me to my partner and all the big and little ways in which he expressed his love and takes care of me. To my friends for their constant support, love, and willingness to meet me where Iām at, and to my family, that despite the distance they all manage to let me know how important I am to them and how much they love me. And to my amazing clients and students who allow me to influence them to improve their lives and who teach me through their struggles and their courage how to be a better human.
And my heart was FILLED WITH TREMENDOUS GRATITUDE for all the people, the opportunities, the experiences, and gifts I am given day in and day out.
It was almost as it the Universe was making sure I got the right answer to my question and help me see how blessed I am with so much abundance.
And I realized that HAPPINESS is a temporary experience that happens when we have amazing moments, but that cultivating GRATITUDE AND JOY can happen everyday, in little moments, in little interactions and that over time as we keep practicing we find that there is more and joy in our lives.
That despite the ups and downs of life, we can find gratitude in little things and experience a sense of joy and connection and that as we do thatā¦.
HAPPINESS becomes a by-productā¦ a consequenceā¦
Itās almost as if the more we seek it the more elusive it becomes, but that the moment we stop STRIVING and can RECEIVE, and APPRECIATE what IS here and nowā¦Happiness arrives unannounced through the back door.
That sometimes acknowledging and appreciating what is NOWā¦is all we need to do.
So I ask you my friend, what are you feeling GRATEFUL OR APPRECIATIVE ABOUT? And how is that supporting you?
