Finding Joy

Finding Joy 

The deep sense of satisfaction, where all feelings felt are good, and the mind, body, soul, and spirit are at peace. Once I found this joy, I knew that it wasn’t going to feel this way forever. I did not want to deceive myself, for I know now with the years gone by that it is indeed true that there is time for everything, so a day where there is grave pain and sorrow will come, I mean I wish it wouldn’t, I would welcome feeling joyful every day. But I want to remember to hold on tightly on the days when I do experience this joy. It is tempting to dwell on the grave pains and sorrows of life that we do not even allow ourselves to feel, sit, dwell, or soak in the blessing of joy when it comes, so this was me calling on me to remember to soak it all in, to sit in it and feel it fully for all that it is.

So I sat and asked myself, where does this joy come from? Is it in the people I surround myself with? Is it a place, is it a thing? Is it in the accolades and accomplishments? It is in a time of the year. I searched and paid close attention to how I felt when I moved around places, as I spent time with people. I searched my soul for joy to really see where it came from when I was feeling happy and where it went when I suddenly felt sad.

I found that true joy came from deep within, from a place that is pure and whole. It felt safe; it felt like home. My heart wanted to rest in it for a little while longer, even though my mind quickly wandered away, distracted by the many cares of the world. I found it was not necessarily in a place, a person, a thing, or many things, even though these can allow us to access it. It comes from deep within our hearts, our spirit. Even though we mostly feel it when things are going well, all things considered, it is always there. It can co-exist sometimes, even in the deepest of sorrow, if we allow ourselves to feel it.

I acknowledge the heartaches that we feel, the bruises, the pains, both spoken and unspoken. In truth, our days on earth come with a lot, some days heavy, some days light, some things no one should ever have to experience or even bear witness to, and yet some do. But I dare us to search deep, to fetch for joy as if it's the last thing we will ever do. I'm not saying let's move around smiling all day pretending like all is well, but I'm saying let's delve deep to search for true joy and to dwell in it when we find it. 

So now I ask only for one thing: that you find joy in the everyday things, that you experience it in its fullness. 

The next time you feel this joy, whether you feel it in this moment or in the next, I hope you hold on to it a little longer. I hope you give yourself permission to fully immerse yourself in it, and when gloom comes, I hope you still remember the joy you felt and know that same joy is coming. I hope that you don’t only find joy, but that joy finds you.

If it's your first time here welcome to Space of thoughts, I hope we learn from each other and grow together. For those who have been here before, it's such a pleasure to have you again.

Please do reach out to me in the comments or write to me directly using the email lcararise@gmail.com