Just Joy
♫ ♫ ♫ “On the eighth day of Solstice my Spirit gave to me: Gladness, Bliss and Joy!” ♫ ♫ ♫
Today, my eighth day posting daily about qualities and gifts of the season, something happened for the first time: The Quality and the Gift were the same—almost. (See previous December posts for the other qualities and gifts.)
Day EIGHT: The Quality of Joy; the Gift of Joyousness.
At first, my thought was that I needed other gifts today besides something ambiguous like “joy”. I’ve been having a challenging work situation, and the previous days’ gifts of balance, or wisdom, or a coming one, forgiveness, seemed better suited. “I’ll get around to ‘JOY’ after a while, when things settle down.”
Here’s the thing, though, and you’ll see this coming: Things DON’T settle down. Not ever. Alright, maybe temporarily, but what they mostly do is change. However if we take the time, in the middle of a “situation” to meditate a bit on what gives us JOY in life, then…(you’ll anticipate this one, too!) the things that were giving us challenges somehow, magically, become lighter. Perhaps unforseen solutions arise. Even if they don’t, I find myself facing “what is” with renewed strength and optimism. The miserable becomes tolerable; the tolerable, acceptable, and finally, pleasurable. [Disclaimer: This may take more than ten minutes. Then again…it may not!]
What is JOY, by the way? To me, it’s best summed up in a phrase from The Peaceable Kingdom by Randall Thompson: Gladness of Heart. I repeat those words to myself, and my heart opens, (I posted previously about an open heart) and well-being sets in. Here is a link to a YouTube video from a choir festival, with the mixed choirs singing this movement from Thompson’s great work. There are other recordings with better audio, but this one just has so much spirit. If I could, I would give you the gift today of JOY. It is yours, if you want it! 😀
Joy to the World. Seriously!
MusEditions 
May you have a holiday of merry merriment and joyousness. 🙂
IdeaJump!
December 28, 2009
Thank you, IJ. I’m doing my best! And you.
museditions
December 30, 2009