Living "In Joy"

*Originally published 09.25.2022

Recently someone remarked that he had a strong ability to enjoy life. Hmmmm, I thought to myself. Enjoy life?  Really? Is that the point of it all?  The comment truly caught me by surprise.  I mean, sure, there are moments that I enjoy life, moments of joy and delight, but those moments just sort of happen. They aren’t something I necessarily orchestrate. They happen and I notice. My associate was suggesting that he intentionally enjoyed life. What a revelation!

It seems to me that my life has mostly been about getting things done. The “things” included school, chores, school, family obligations, work, family obligations, body maintenance for good health, work, family obligations , work,  repeat. Forever. If some of that stuff turned out to be enjoyable, well, then all the better. But enjoyment was not the point. The point was to get the stuff done. 

And here I am. I’ve gotten most of the stuff done.  I did the work, I raised the family, I made responsible health choices, I achieved “the good life”. What’s left to do? My associate was suggesting that enjoying life was what was left to do.   

I’ve been thinking about the one person I know currently who seems to live a life of joy. She almost always wakes up with sparkly eyes and a crib full of giggles. And why not? She has an open day in front of her with no responsibilities. Someone prepares her breakfast, someone provides warm, clean and often cute clothes for her to wear and someone lifts her out of her safe crib so that she can truly get into motion.  She seems to move “in joy” throughout her day, big smiles as she looks at books, pats the dog, and pushes her pink shopping cart around the house, dropping into it whatever treasures she finds along the way (mom’s slipper, the little Elmo toy, dad’s toothpaste, her favorite colors book). She is willing to eat whatever the trusted one puts in front of her and often giggles her way through a very messy lunch. She does the nap time routine with joy - cuddling for a couple of books, singing a couple of songs, snuggling down for a 90 minute nap. Everything in this child’s day seems to be done “in joy”. She enjoys life. 

I wonder if it’s even possible for me to be like the 20 month old child and simply keep eyes open, see the play in everything, trust that “someone” will provide.  Can I go beyond enjoying life in those random moments when the stars align and happy events are giving to me? Can I take a lesson from the 20 month old happiness genius and simply life in joy?  Sure, she has no responsibilities except to grown and learn. Maybe all I have to do is be likewise? Maybe my job was always her job only I made it more complicated? 

I am ready to lift my nose from the grindstone. I am ready to sit on the beach and do nothing but feel the sand, hear the birds, let the sea breeze lift my hair, smell the ocean, and breathe. And then I can take that experience into the rest of my day. I can practice being mindful of this moment and all that is beautiful about it. I can practice taking on the responsibilities that I choose to take on with a joyful outlook. Or, at least, I can experiment with that.