Enlightenment is understanding that
there is nowhere to go, nothing to do,
and nobody you have to be except
exactly who you’re being right now.
…..Neale Donald Walsch

joy is not trite, and meaning is not about giving in to the grind of life…..but it is about being here, with all of it and then coming back to joy again…..wow…..how do we do that?

Stay present: Keep yourself so rooted in the present moment that you don’t allow yesterday or tomorrow to take up too much of your thoughts and energy. Staying conscious in each moment will also allow you the opportunity to catch yourself in unhealthy patterns of thought.

Because, really, so much of what eats us up and worries us is a result of patterns of thought we have accumulated over the years — thoughts about who and what we are, and thoughts about what our life is (which is really just a story, anyhow).

Stop and reflect: When you stop and reflect on your life, it’s easy to see that things generally do work out, most of the time. It’s easy to look back and see that things you worried about in the past, things that you let eat you up, were not worth the worry after all. Retrospect is a great tool.

Take a long-term view: Stop for a minute and think about what will really matter to you in 10 years. In 20 years. On your death-bed. Think about all the things you will want to look back on with satisfaction.

Think about all the joy you will want to feel, knowing you had one hell of a great time, and thoroughly immersed yourself in every fleeting moment.

Express gratitude: We so often overlook all the blessings that surround us every single moment of every single day. Again, staying rooted in the moment will allow you to really notice blessings as they occur (and they do, more often than you might realize!).

Make lists, mental or physical, of each thing you have to be grateful for. (On a side note, you’ll find that once you do this, more and more blessings will start to flow into your experience. Like magic, folks). Go hug and kiss your loved ones, too.

We so often neglect to show them how much they bring meaning and joy to our lives.

Lie on the grass: Right now. Seriously. Look up at the sky. Get lost in the immensity of it. Get lost in the absolute perfection of it all. Go do something you enjoy, damn it. Go for a walk on the beach, or a hike up a mountain.

Go eat something ridiculously delicious and don’t even for a second feel guilty for doing it. Paint something. Go sit on the porch with a glass of tea and watch the birds fly by. Dance a dance. Sing a song. Go ahead, enjoy yourself. Really, it’s okay.

….Karisa Bigelow

 kissing sky

This is who and what I am,
this is how I walk the path as of right now,
and I gratefully welcome
whatever comes my way,
even if it’s uncomfortable or inconvenient.
…..Bryan E Wright