Sometimes Joy is a Poem

We tell each other to smell the roses, enjoy a good meal, hug a baby, pet a kitten, walk in the sand. If you do it will lead to joy. And that is true. But I suspect our busy lives get in the way of remembering to do the little things that could bring us joy. I have been thinking of some new suggestions. What if the ideas were more like: notice the drivers in cars around you and smile. Or take three deep breaths before you exit your car on errands. Maybe walk barefoot in your yard. If you feel the urge to do a little something for yourself or another just for the heck of it….DO IT! Won’t cost you anything and might calm your nervous system a little.

I have finally made it back to the yoga mat after my time away on Iona. A three month hiatus left me a little creaky however it’s the quiet thoughts in my head that I really missed. Christopher Love (my instructor of choice) always brings such thoughtful meditation material. I want to share one of the poems he gave us this week. I think it will be a pause for joy in your day.

The Important Thing

“I am making a home inside myself.

A shelter of kindness where everything is forgiven, everything allowed—a quiet patch of sunlight to stretch out without hurry,

where all that has been banished and buried is welcomed, spoken, listened to—released.

A fiercely friendly place I can claim as my very own.

I am throwing arms open to the whole of myself—especially the fearful, fault-finding, falling apart, unfinished parts, knowing

every seed and weed, every drop of rain, has made the soil richer.

I will light a candle, pour a hot cup of tea, gather

around the warmth of my own blazing fire. I will howl

if I want to, knowing this flame can burn through

any perceived problem, any prescribed perfectionism,

any lying limitation, every heavy thing.

I am making a home inside myself

where grace blooms in grand and glorious

abundance, a shelter of kindness that grows

all the truest things.”

-Julia Fehrenbacher