J: Joy #Step10

Joy: And of course, let there be joy. There is joy all around us but it has to be found. I know, you will say you know that. But for years people have been setting out in search of joy. Note, I am not talking about happiness or emotional and mental well-being. I am talking about everyday joys, found in laughter and jest, found in everyday life. Volumes have been written, numerous movies made, all in the pursuit of joy. So where do you find this ever elusive joy? Is it in that fancy party you want to attend? Is it found in those expensive shoes or those branded jeans? Is it in that trendy gang at school? Nope (although those things can make you joyous for a while). Real joy is found even in routine existence: the touch of a loved one, in the eyes of a child, in the smile of a stranger. It cannot be bought or coaxed into being. It sits quietly in the corner and waits for you to find it in your everyday life. Real joy does not shout from rooftops, it manifests itself in your smile, in your attitude. It is found sitting at the dining table when the family gathers for dinner, in the chatter of a child as she tells you her dreams... It is silent, so silent in fact, that most days you are forgiven for thinking that it isn’t even there. And I sign off today (and this week) with one of my favourite poems, ever, one that hung over my desk when I was in college and one that still hangs over my daughters’ study tables:
DESIDERATA
GO PLACIDLY amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass.Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.Max Ehrmann.