Unfolding the Pages of Joy

The purpose of our lives is to be happy.
~His Holiness the Dalai Lama

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Day 11 : We turn ourselves toward Joy and recreate our reality.


Did you receive my invitation yesterday? It was a summons to create a Joy Book. If you're not sure what I'm talking about, simply scroll down and read the previous post.

Today, I'm going to share some snippets from page 1 and 2 of my Joy Book, the one I am having an absolute blast creating. If the Spirit moves you, I hope you'll join in the fun. And if not, that's fine too. Just sit back and allow the vibration of Joy to wash over you.

I'm not sure exactly when I came to believe this concept, but doing so changed my life:

What we think about expands.

Put it this way. What we focus our thoughts and energies on becomes a part of us. And it grows. It gets bigger, is more prevalent in our lives. The more we place our attention upon it, the more it becomes a part of our reality, shifting and changing our perceptions, our interactions, creating a future sourced in the same.

This is especially true for Joy. If we turn our thoughts first thing in the morning toward Joy, our day leans toward Joy. We notice more of it throughout the day and feel better because of it. The opposite is true as well. If we focus on fear, we may become more afraid; focus on anger, we get more upset.

Spending time in the lap of Joy will inevitably raise our vibration for daily living. Naming what delights us, noticing what enlivens, giving voice and form to what brings happiness and then doing more of THAT—well, now we are on the Joy Trail.

And because we are on that auspicious path, life begins to look a whole lot different, feel different. In time, we have become different. Joy is no longer just a thought or a hobby, it is who we are.

So place your attention on Joy. Acknowledge it and put it down in your Joy Book. Then when you need it most, when you have forgotten what Joy feels like, smells like, sounds like—when the world has gotten you down—open your Joy Book and dive in.

Enough preaching to the choir. Here is what I've put in my Joy Book today:

~A picture of His Holiness the Dalai Lama taken in Madison, WI, last year (see above). This picture brings me such Joy. I laugh when I look at it. I found it quite comical when, during this most prestigious teaching, His Holiness put on sunglasses, along with a visor that perfectly matched his burgundy robes to minimize the glare from the lights in the arena. And how fitting, that such profound (and ancient) wisdom can be successfully delivered from a throne, with an over-the-ear microphone and a sense of humor.

~A lovely quote to ground me in Joy. It's from my friend, Ingrid, at Tending Joy:

"There is beauty all around for those with eyes to see."

~ This quote, used as a writing prompt, urged me out into my garden. I looked around, scoping out the beauty all around me, allowing it to bathe me in Joy. A new yellow iris. A tiny finch nest with 4 eggs nestled in a hanging basket of fuschia. Two willowy columbines. 5 yellow pansies that survived the harshest winter in years (175 in. of snow!) Bright yellow golfinches playing tag. I recorded these noticings.

Then I felt ready to start my day of work at my computer and a trip to the physical therapist—perfectly buoyed by Joy.

I am so glad I am gathering up these joys and putting them in a book. Someday when I am old and gray and I rock a lot, especially on days when no loved ones come to call, I will find companionship and comfort in this volume of remembrances. Yes, I will ...

I welcome your thoughts ...

If you are creating a Joy Book along with me, what did you put in yours today?

And if you are not, what subtle joys found you today?

~~~~~
(Image courtesy of Deer Park Monastery, Madison, WI. All rights reserved.)