In the dead of winter, the long night comes.
A single candle changes it all. The spark from the match, sulfur and sound, the soft flicker as the wick catches. Warmth.
It’s miraculous how that tiny light gives so much. The darker the world is, the more it illuminates.
The dark in our souls isn’t limited to winter. It can be the mountain of noise in our lives — too busy, too many things to do, too much pressure to perform. It can be desperation and fear and loss. Life beats you down and your mind screams “What’s the point? Why me? Why…?”
Then, the spark. Because, it seems you can’t ask yourself a question without your gorgeous mind trying to answer. Your desperate ego tries to cling to the depression and anger, but your mind, with that empowered light deep in you, offers hope…
Take a deep breath…stretch into your soul. Listen.
What’s the answer, the word, that brings you from that brink?
For me, it’s Joy.
I remember, the point of this life is to experience the beautiful ecstasy of living.
Here’s how I find it:
I fall into my senses and let them bring me into perspective. Even caught in the darkness of my mind, the trees in the wind are still beautiful. I can always look up and see clouds or rain or trees. I can always take a deep breath. I can feel something silky. I can let chocolate melt on my tongue. I can light a candle. Pull a card. Even the color of litter on the street is sometimes enough.
Somehow, that connection with my world gives me a moment of realization – it’s alright. And if I savor it for another moment or two, the fog starts to lift. I remember – oh yes, this sensual experience. This glow in my soul. This spark in the darkness.
You can do this, too.
This time of year, it’s a little easier. Every holiday light is a happy reminder of hope. There’s also the twinkle of stars peering past the clouds, the embers in the hearth, the glow of dawn, the glisten of snow.
Whenever you notice these little lights, allow yourself to appreciate them, feel them and really let them in. Let them carry hope and joy into your body.
When you can’t find the spark, move! It doesn’t even have to be a big move, like exercising. Do something (anything) that provides an immediate sensual experience. Take a walk, take a shower. Stand up. Lift your head and look out a window. Take a deep breath. Maybe many breaths. Pick up a pen and scrawl some words or sketches or scribbles.
Move in subtle or big ways, following the sparks that lead you on the path closer to your joy in this moment, then the next, then the next…
This is a monthly theme for You’ve Got Joy!
Cultivate your Joy and discover your Sparks
with daily text reminders!
“I didn’t have expectations about what it would mean to
focus on joy, but it has been amazing!” – Ann
