“Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy
and keep choosing it every day.”
-Henri Nouwen
Choose joy she says, choose joy and write it down. Start the moment your feet hit the ground come morning, and carry on throughout the day.
Is joy different than gratitude? I ask. She isn’t sure. Give it a try, she replies, and report back.
***
“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”― Anne Lamott
It seems to take me several days now to put together a new post here. I dig deep for some meaningful words to share, all the while aware of the anxiety rising within me. Keep it simple I tell myself. Just a few words to mark the days along with the flowers from Trader Joe’s in a new vase my sister gifted me.
***
““We may want to love other people without holding back, to feel authentic, to breathe in the beauty around us, to dance and sing. Yet each day we listen to inner voices that keep our life small.”
- Tara Brach
I slow down, empty my head of doubts and regrets and do my best to connect with the tools she has suggested, understanding that it might not work every time, but it does work.
***
“When we recall Christmas past, we usually find that the simplest things - not the great occasions - give off the greatest glow of happiness.”
― Bob Hope
Frosted mornings,
decorations brought down from the attic,
snow on the hills and wrapping gifts
lists made, and lasagna making,
making enough to freeze for later
a cougar in the neighborhood,
that just won’t go away
walking in pairs,
text messages to keep us all informed
good books, slow dinners, poetry
and hope.
***
“The whole world is a series of miracles, but we're so used to them we call them ordinary things.”
― Hans Christian Andersen
I slip my coat, boots, and hat on over my pajamas, and head outside to the first real frost of the season. The frost outlines the beautiful details of the leaves. Making me wonder what other small miracle I might have missed.
***
“One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day. Don't clean it up too quickly."
― Andy Rooney
The rain slows down and we wake to snow across the lake. He bakes cookies while I wrap presents. I dig out the old Christmas books and read them to Percy. We celebrate the Winter Solstice and I do my best to stay mindful. I might go silent for a couple of weeks as I need the rest. But then again, I might change my mind!
Happy Holidays!
***
““It is easy for me to imagine that the next great division of the world will be between people who wish to live as creatures and people who wish to live as machines.”
― Wendell Berry, Life is a Miracle: An Essay Against Modern Superstition
I watch as the people around me seem to effortlessly navigate the technology that surrounds us. I on the other hand, wake up most days to some kind of technology glitch. All I really want to do is post a few moments of beauty in the calm I find behind my camera lens.
***