I caught a few minutes of a morning show today. Watched the latest updates on the coronavirus. Heard we are supposed to get more snow tonight. (Have to love mid-April in Chicago.) I watched a clip of Kelly Clarkson talking about her new song. Being a huge Kelly Clarkson fan, I went to iTunes to listen to a snippet. But it wasn’t there.
I went to YouTube and found myself in a countdown cue for the release of the new song. I have to admit, it was exciting. The chat box was filled with fans sharing their eager anticipation. There were people from all over the world using words with lots of repeating letters (OMGGGGGGGGGGGG) and many, many love emoticons.
In the midst of all of this excitement, there were a few “calm down already” posts. While I understood the naysayers might not be as excited as others, they were still waiting in cue for the premiere.
And it got me thinking, who has the right to minimize the pure joy that other people experience? We all may not find joy in the same things, but most people have felt joy at least once in their life.
Defining your joy
I think the answer to my question is two-fold. First, we don’t allow ourselves to find enough joy because we are too caught up in the other parts of our life. Second, we don’t remember what joy feels like.
I felt joy waiting for the premiere of the song. I had not been planning to fall into an online premiere (a first for me) so the novelty of it all spiked my enthusiasm. And then to read of the fans’ admirations, I felt like I was in a room surrounded with people even though I was the only one in my basement. Joy snuck up on me and I went with its wave.
Riding the joy wave
So, how can we embrace joy when it finds us?
If something excites you today, run with it. Embrace the moment. Squeeze out every bit of pure joy you can. And then find a way to remember it – write it down, take a screen shot, snap a picture. Do whatever you can do to recall that moment at a needed point in the future.
We often overlook the moments of joy (and yes, I am raising my own hand). But when our normal happiness is interrupted like it is now, take that surprise and find a way to be present. Most things can wait for joy.
And what happens when we authentically, wholeheartedly embrace joy? Your body might feel a little less heavy. You might feel like to can tackle a task you have been procrastinating. You might give more hugs. Or simply you might realize you can make it through the day.
How am I embracing the joy that I found today? I am writing this blog uninhibited with all my spelling and grammar errors left to sit because I feel like I need to get the words down now before they escape me. Before the rest of my life shows up again – trying to remind me of all that is going wrong in my world instead of celebrating this moment of right. (Disclaimer: I did go back and edit.)
Whether moments of joy come today, tomorrow, the next day, be ready to accept them. Joy is what gets us out of bed in the morning and gives us extra comfort in our prayers. Joy is good for our souls which multiplies to those around us. Give it a chance. I dare you.