Find the Joy

Hello friends,

It has been another brutal week in the news. Two more mass shootings within one week. The massacres continue and we run the risk of becoming numb to the endless cycle of violence that plagues our nation.

It brings me down. We were supposed to be gathering to celebrate, instead we mourn. This wasn’t the Thanksgiving weekend that I expected.

I sat in stillness for a while, considering the idea of ‘right action’ and what I could do this time. It’s frustrating and, at times, seems fruitless.

Then I went outside for a walk. The weather was beautiful and the fresh air would be invigorating.

This is what I saw when I walked out my front door…

This 20-foot Santa just about knocked me off my feet. It made me smile; it made me laugh out loud! My new neighbors had just set it up and it changed everything for me.

Many years ago, I read The Book of Joy by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. It is a wonderful book – basically a conversation between the two of them regarding why we’re here.

They ask the question “What is the purpose of life?”

Their answer: “To find joy.”

That seems to be a tall order on days when the world seems to be spinning out of control. How can we find joy in the midst of unspeakable sadness?

But there is joy around us. We need to find it and keep looking for it, even on our darkest days.

When we find that place of joy, we are able to see clearer, with a new perspective. It is from that joy that we can find compassion and serve our neighbor. From those small steps, healing can begin.

Let’s find the joy, my friends. Let’s find it, let’s share it. Let's begin to heal our broken world.

Please join me on your mat.

Love & Joy,

Nina G