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When a woman asked the late Desmond Tutu how it's possible to feel joy in a world so troubled, he replied...
"My dear, the world needs your joy now more than ever!"
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And, on this day, in spite of your concerns and doubts...
Will joy be yours when you consider all you have in the way of nourishment,
safety, friendship, health, vitality, things to discover and laughter shared...
Will joy be felt in what is here, now - in the work you do, the story you hear, the smile given, the problem solved, the thing learned, the meal prepared...
Will you not only know joy, but be astonished at the sight of the beloved child still here, the mother remembered, the pet you hug, and the mate who walks through the door at the close of day...
"How are you?", I ask.
They would be "happy", they say, if things were better - when the stock market improves (note: it did recently, I wonder if they're happy now?), when they lose weight, meet someone to love, when costs are down and promotions given, when their mate is in shape, their in-laws stop intruding, and friends stop directing every conversation back to themselves. If only they had more space, more time or energy, if people would finally understand, rarely disagree and return their texts faster...yes, then they'll be 'happy', but not now, not just yet. They'll wait for better times.
We might imagine whole lifetimes spent wanting people and circumstances and situations to be different - almost anything, but not life as it is. What is this wanting for? A one-sided journey with only good? Only reward? Only easy? No other side. No opposites. No difficulties, downside or disappointment. Will you spend your precious time in the waiting...?
The joyful and displeased live in the same world with little that's different in the way of setbacks and sorrow, but with notable differences in the way their lives are lived.
Yours to choose.
Thank you for visiting The Simple.
ah
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The book is here...
"What to Do When You Don't Know What To Do; Finding You in the Simple"
Simplicity, Nature, and Common Sense