Last Friday was a beautiful early summer day. The hot sun, floating majestic clouds, and a warm northerly breeze drew me to the banks of the river. Walking along a deserted road, looking for a spot to get down to the edge, I could see the glistening silvery water through the small breaks in the trees and underbrush.
Each small glimpse increased my anticipation of standing at the water’s edge and taking in the full vista of this historic waterway, a view that always brings me joy. Finding a small path, I moved quickly to the sandy bank, kicked off my sandals, and stepped into the water. Aaahhhh!
As I stood there in that perfect moment, it occurred to me that finding joy is a lot like this. We catch glimpses each day in many small ways, some simple and mundane like catching all of the green lights on the boulevard, and in some profoundly joy-producing ways like a spontaneous wave and a smile from a small child or the look and a kiss from a true lover.
And yet, these moments can be fleeting, the joy within seeming to evaporate as we move from task to task in our busy lives.
That joy, no matter the impetus or stimulus, is experienced in our very own hearts and minds. It is felt like a moment out of time, a pause in the ticking clock of our days, as if the Rubik’s cube of our own life just magically solved itself - if just for an instant. Joy bursts out from within and we are whole.
Positive psychology views joy as an emotion made up of happiness, contentment, and harmony and unique in that it arises from within the individual. This modern-day view is surprisingly similar to the perspective of our ancient wisdom cultures. In yoga philosophy, our essential nature is said to be made up of truth, awareness (or consciousness), and joy - satchitananda.
It can be richly rewarding to see each moment of joy as a doorway to our true essential nature, a glimpse through the trees to the flowing waters beyond, an invitation to dip our feet into the restorative, cooling waters of our own self.
As we move downstream from our month of joy at Prasada, consider the notion that perhaps joy is the river that flows through every theme we ponder, every intention we make, every action we take, and that the invitation is always there to come down to the water’s edge and step in. Aaahhhh!
Be Well,
Jack Curley
Wholebeing Guide