I read a blog this weekend written by a very intelligent, phenomenal woman who was discussing the importance of having joy in our lives. It was awesome!

As I traveled through my weekend, despite the sheer volume of activities I had planned, I still managed to end up sad this afternoon. It is my daughter’s birthday and I will not see her today: she is on bed rest with excruciating back pain following a car accident in January of this year. The pain she is experiencing has overpowered her whole existence. She even forgot that it was her birthday. She will be having spinal injections on Thursday to alleviate her suffering. She will be okay.

Since she and I decided that she was not up to a visit, I decided to “explore” Eons instead. What I found changed my whole outlook and gave me back my joy. I watched YouTube videos showing a young man in Britain singing “Pie Jesu” like an angel, a beautiful young woman singing “Amazing Grace” in an empty church, a sweet little baby girl singing “Amazing Grace” for her parents, and one of my favorite groups, The Traveling Wilburys.

I believe that each of us finds our joy in our own way. For some, it might be dancing, horseback riding, walking on the beach, or painting. For me, it is music. All kinds of wonderful music. As I write this, I am listening to Andrew Lloyd Webber tunes. The music permeates my existence and lifts me out of my sadness.

Having joy in my life is more important than money, or success, or companionship. Joy is inextricably intertwined with my outlook on life. Having joy allows me to appreciate everything else that I have. It is seeing the cup as “better than half full”; seeing the rainbow, not just the rain; it is dancing in the rain, not running for cover; it is singing along with a favorite song while driving my car; it is my most cherished “possession”. Yet it is not a possession at all: it is a conscious choice, on my part, to nurture that which brings me joy and refuse to give in to the thoughts that can bring me down.

I hope you find your joy in life.