“…Find out where joy resides, and give it a voice far beyond singing. For to miss the joy is to miss all.” – Robert Louis Stevenson.

Last weekend as I drove east to Michigan, a wonderful inner alchemy began to stir.  Although I had not been feeling great due to a flare up of a chronic condition, my zest for wanderlust overrode my “common sense” instincts that said to mellow out at home for the weekend.  We had been planning this trip and I decided to go forth and see what happens, let life unfold as it does without any prompting.

What I discovered in those unfolding moments was to recognize the small, sometimes mundane joys of merely slowing down and noticing what was around me.  Whether it was doing nothing on the shores of Lake Michigan on a beach chair, standing at an overlook of a marshy river bank, or sitting eating breakfast outside in a small café, allowing the pace of life to slow down for a few precious moments allowed me to access joy within me.

Even though as humans we are hardwired from our evolution towards placing more importance on the negative experiences, the unpleasant, we can break this cycle by paying attention to the moments of quiet or simply the joy of witnessing and immersing ourselves in our natural environment.  It is in those moments that it is so vital to recognize the possibility of the joy in the ordinary.  The moments between the pleasant and the unpleasant, residing in the gap, being alive and aware, and making note of it.  This is the joy of life.

So the next time you are sitting eating a cherry, listening to birdsong, or chatting with a friend, make sure to soak in those moments, this is the practice of cultivating joy in your life.

Please feel free to share your mindful, joyful moments below in the comments section.