Noticing How Joyful We Really Are

We are finding that we are more joyful than we might have thought. By allowing our awareness to settle on the conditions which enable or hinder our natural capacity for joy, we are discovering how many fleeting moments of joy we have that otherwise would have gone unnoticed.

This summer's recent heat wave is over, and every so often a cool breeze wafts by, soothing our foreheads, cheeks, necks. What a relief! The moment comes and then is gone, but it is so delicious while it lasts. Then the mind comes back in with all the worries, thoughts, and plans for the day. It is these afterthoughts that we remember when Jenny and I recount our day.

But there are many such delicious moments. Finding a new ripe tomato on our porch plant, listening to the gentle rain outside our window, watching Ruby's delight at sounding out the word "palindrome." And whether we remember them at the end of the day or not, we notice that these punctuating moments of delight nonetheless lend their taste, their flavor, to the texture of our mindset and view, allowing us to be a little more open and spacious.