Why???? Was I upset she was leaving and I wouldn't "see" her for a long while? I don't think so. I mean, she lives a mile down the street but it's not like I actually see her a zillion times a year. 10 maybe? Maybe less. And I get to hear a LOT about her life through her
Mom who just happens to be my closest friend of 50 years...so no, not that.
Was it because I was sad? That she is leaving?
NO! I am ecstatic for her!
Perhaps because I knew her Mom would miss her desperately? Well - I know she WILL! But that's not why...
No...I think it's much simpler than all that.
I just plain love her so much.
I have watched her grow from that teeny being to this mature, beautiful fun woman who catches ALOT of JOY in her life. She has grown so much. She graduated college. She worked hard and completed her Masters. She got soooo creative in the job market and succeeded amazingly. She found the love of her life and accepted unforeseen circumstances with great dignity and grace even though it wasn't how she planned for "things" to go.
And she waited it out. She practiced acceptence. She sought enJOYment in her life as she waited and she is off to meet her destiny with huge enthusiasm that is completely contagious, enviable and so JOYful. I could not have chosen a better beauty to live vicariously through.
Speaking of acceptance, enjoyment and enthusiasm, I finished a book last night that I just loved called A New Earth, Awakening To Your Life's Purpose. It was very interesting. And guess what the theme of the book really was after a lot of slow, mind bending (but very interesting), thought provoking verbage?
The JOY of Being is the JOY of being conscious.
Say whatttt?
It's pretty simple. How many people are truly "conscious"? We move thru our world with a zillion thoughts swirling in our heads. But are we conscious? Are we in the moment? Are we catching JOY? Or are we lost in our thoughts, reacting, reacting, reacting based on thoughts that run through our heads and "things" that happen to us and meetings we need to be at and appointments we need to drive to and self talking ourselves to death about how miserable we are? Who's the most stressed contests and when am I going to get happy and I'm so miserable - those thoughts? Are you sighing ALOT. (I'm a huge sigher...)
Here's a novel thought. How about just being JOYful? For a minute. Look around you. Be conscioussssss. Stop being UNconscioussssss. The alternative to where you are in this moment? Does dead ring a bell? I mean, yea - you could be in a better place. The beach, a vacation, reading on the couch...but you're NOT. You're HERE!
So guess what? Just plain accept. That's all. Accept where you are - be it the crazy long line at Starbucks (ummm - the one I was in this morning?), cleaning the kitchen, putting away laundry...because when you accept where you are instead of fighting with yourself about not wanting to be there, suddenly all is quiet. Are you all ecstatically happy and shit? No - but you're not miserable anymore. You aren't resisting against your thoughts and getting more stressed. Acceptance - - not so bad...
On to enJOYment. Here's something - when you make the present moment, instead of past and future, the focal point of your life, your ability to enJOY what you do increases tenfold and with it the quality of your life increases dramatically. JOY! Why "wait" for something meaningful to come into your life so you can finally enJOY what you do. Waiting to start living is so unconscious! The now is where you ARE!!! Catch JOY now! EnJOYment -- not so bad...
And last but not least? Enthusiasm. Enthusiasm means there is a deep enJOYment in what you do plus the added element of a goal or a vision that you work toward. It's called enJOYing the journey! When you want to arrive at your goal more than you want to be doing what you are doing, you become stressed. So enJOY and your enthusiasm will be contagious! And you just ride the wave - to success.
Take me and the 3 little pigs. LOL! I know - right? Always all about me.
Anyway - Let's go hiking kids!!!! If I go into the idea with stress because I don't know where I'm going, and I don't know if they'll get cranky and what if it's too difficult. Really???? Hello - now THAT'S fun!!!
No - I've learned. Talk yourself off the ledge and make it an adventure. Surely more JOYful. Enthusiasm is quite contagious. It applies all over. EnJOY the journey and your enthusiasm will lead you to your heart's JOY. Enthusiasm - not so bad...
So - yea - a bit philosophical and new agey today, huh? But it's not that difficult to comprehend. You just need to get out of your head and look at your thoughts from the background - with your soul. You know your soul? No?
Still your mind for a minute and you will meet - guess who? Yup - you will meet YOU. Not your thoughts, not your anger, your frustration, your stress. That's not YOU. YOU are who is looking at all that. YOU are who looks around and catches JOY - even a nano-second of JOY - that's YOU. That be your soul. That be the conscious YOU. That is Being. Hence...
The JOY of Being is the JOY of being conscious.
Take a moment. You might be surprised.
