The themes of JOY and HAPPINESS have both been showing up in my readings and in my own mind and heart. I’ve debated with myself and others as to whether or not they are different and the answers vary because, of course, it’s a matter of perception.
But what has more recently been the question I’ve been asking myself is: “What am I doing to bring more of both into my life and into the lives of others?” That’s what this blog is going to be about, and I hope you will continue to read on as you ask yourselves the same question.
I love the image I found to use along with this blog, because I think it reminds us that the best way to see what joy or happiness looks like is to see children demonstrating it, unfettered by any restrictive voices in their heads reminding them of how they may look, whether or not they’re being too noisy or worrying about what others may think. Just how easy is it for us to be as little children?
I know it’s not so easy for me. One could blame it on my “introverted nature,” but that sort of sounds like an easy way out, a way of avoiding the truth that my awareness of the real spiritual truth of who I AM is sufficiently fragile to still be triggered, on occasion, and thus experience myself as “not enough” or the people in the world around me as ones that “can’t be trusted.” I think I can honestly say I have a pretty good handle on dealing with these moments, when they happen (although I’m not sure my wife would necessarily agree with that statement), and I do find a lot of joy in my life and how I spend it, but it’s also true that I don’t spend all that much time with others having child-like fun.
Realizing this is a start but what matters next is the question I posed to myself and now pose for you, “What am I doing to bring more of both [joy and happiness] into my life and into the lives of others?”
These are a few of the choices I know could add a flavor of child-like fun (meaning no judgments as to how good I am at doing it if it involves skills) to the life I share with my wife. And some of them are activities I’m pretty sure she’d enjoy being able to plan on us doing together.
1. Spontaneously put on a good music station that we could dance to (and then initiating the dance!)
2. Suggest we plan an occasional day-trip to a beach along the Atlantic coast or over to the Gulf coast
3. Get tickets for and take a drive to one of a variety of major theme parks in Florida and spend the day having fun
4. Get tickets to attend a kind of theater show she’d enjoy and surprise her with it
I know. My list isn’t very long, is it? But it’s a beginning! Come on, help me out here! What are some other activities you do that bring out the kid in you? I’d love to hear your suggestions!
And as a final effort to find some answers or some ideas that might stimulate my creative brain, I googled for some quotes and here are the ones that either spoke to me or got a chuckle out of me; maybe they’ll serve you too!
“Sometimes you just have to jump in a mud puddle because it’s there. Never get so old that you forget about having fun.”― Tom Giaquinto (Be A Good Human)
“Don’t take life too seriously! Nobody gets out alive anyway. Smile. Be goofy. Take chances. Have fun. Inspire.”― Dawn Gluskin
“I believe in having fun first, and along the way, if you teach people, if you influence people, well and good.”― Ray Bradbury
“Go and play. Run around. Build something. Break something. Climb a tree. Get dirty. Get in some trouble. Have some fun.”― Brom
https://everydaypower.com/quotes-about-having-fun/
“Having fun is a choice. There is enough fun for each of us. Choosing to have fun depends on you only.” – unknown
“Don’t ever save anything for a special occasion. Being alive is the special occasion”– Unknown
Love and Light, Steven