I’ve been thinking about JOY a lot. Long before “all this” started, I was pondering the nature of JOY, how to cultivate it, and what a robust JOY looks like which can withstand the inevitable darknesses of life. I’m still thinking about it. I have very few answers. I do have the deep resources of my faith tradition, which call me to look to the Beauty embodied in acts of love, in community, or even in the face of my beautiful nephew.
I’ve also been learning to feed JOY in the simple things these days…like a beautiful bouquet of flowers.
The vase of freshly-cut flowers left on my steps by dear friends…
The way the light illuminates the fragrant petals…
I have been learning to fortify JOY by taking in these instances of beauty wherever I can find it, because as Mary Oliver so astutely writes in her poem, “Don’t Hesitate,” “joy is not made to be a crumb.”
-Eyes wide open, Chinwe
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Chinwe, Your post today relates well to something I’ve been giving a lot of thought to: how will I make sense of what has happened and understand how it has changed me. How will I grow through adversity? Finding joy is certainly a response that I hope to cultivate – and the simple gift of flowers and genuine appreciation and attention to the gift is a perfect example. You might find this article interesting – https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/07/opinion/coronavirus-mental-health.html
Thanks so much, Donna! I saw that article earlier but hadn’t read it yet. Thanks for the reminder, and stay well!
These are just exquisite. I can see your smile as you took them.
And what a beautiful choice from Mary Oliver. x