the soul is here for its own joy.

the soul is here for its own joy.

this sentence entered my life as a gift. literally. it was the title for an anthology of poems i received.

almost a decade later while touching the book's spine, i realized the sentence was an intrinsically lovely thought.

today, i recognize it as truth.

joy is a divine right we all possess.

except we don't.

i think because we get it confused with a pursuit of happiness. or worse, instant gratification.

but it is not either.

i think of joy as opening up in a moment and appreciating it precisely as is.

i navigate life with to-do lists. but i am slowly understanding that real joy, the kind that sustains you in the mosh pit of any given day, is cultivated by our presence.

and as simple as it sounds, finding joy takes considerable practice.

i don't have a cobbled path here for you to follow. but i can share with you how i am trying to let joy be my compass.

moderation in everything.

joy is found somewhere in the balance. i relish my first sips of coffee every morning. i get excited even thinking about it before i fall asleep. but beyond one cup, it loses that delectability. so, it is about allowing myself some reverence for this ritual that fills me with palpable joy instead of trying to supplicate the day with cup after cup, chasing joy.

developing moment-to-moment mindfulness.

when i am packing the lovelies' lunches early in the morning, i often awake with otherworldly exhaustion. i am learning to relinquish that awareness. and with it, all the day's loose ends streaking across my mind. on my better mornings, i am now just packing two little lunches. and somehow, the simplicity of that thought can frame the entire moment with joy.

redefining what joy feels like.

i mentioned once before how i rarely anticipate my morning run, but i love the nirvana i experience when i am done. therein lies joy. which means joy is at my fingertips even in my most frustrating pockets. whether it is parenting. or dealing with customer service. or trying to understand political motive. if i know my intentions, i can recognize the unique joy an experience offers me.

joy requires practice. far more than i have given it. but this urge inside me to learn how to live joyfully refuses to be suppressed. so, while i may be slow reaching, i am less fixated on the foreground and more focused on the undertones and overtones of this very moment.

ever repeating,

my soul is here for its own joy.