Our home has been brimming with love, laughter & fantastical moments that a house full of children under 10 so effortlessly weave.
Our week has been so very full in many many ways… backyard camping, bonfires, toasted marshmallows, beach walks, picnics, gelato at sunset, mountain hikes, shared meals and many late nights over a bottle (or two) of wine. I am feeling so very nourished, as if my heart is smiling beams of joy.
So here I find myself today, back in my office and pondering life, love, happiness & joy.
Image Credit: Neal Kharawala
Happiness
Over my years of teaching, the one common denominator shared by my students from all walks of life when asked ‘What is the ultimate aim of your life’ has simply been… HAPPINESS. The desire to experience lightness, pleasure, abundance, fun… happiness… in every area of life; relationships, work, finances, health & wellbeing.
Whilst happiness is a warm & oozy state of being (which is delightful), happiness is often dependent upon external circumstances – a state of mind, the actions of others, your current circumstances & environment.
Think of drinking a glass of champagne… the bubbles rising up tickling your nose, the jubilance of that first sip as it caresses your tongue, then that eurphoric rush of pleasure as the liquid weaves its magical pathway through your body. As delightfully pleasing to the senses champagne maybe and as happy as it may make you feel at the time, it is transient and the effect will eventually wear off.
Joy
Joy on the other hand is enduring. JOY is the source of happiness… an internal well of vibrancy this is ALWAYS within you, no matter your circumstance, state of mind or life challenges.
Joy is the nectar, the sweet essence of YOU. Joy is the DNA of our Soul… the eternal pilot light that keeps the flames of your Heart & Soul burning brightly.
You can be at the lowest ebb of your life – divorce, illness, death of a loved one, bankruptcy, the crashing of a long held dream – yet JOY is ever present. Joy enables you to have gratitude for simply being alive to experience every crazy & messy facet of human life. How joyous is that !
When the backbone of your life is held together through Joy, you can weather any obstacle, overcome any hardship & navigate the inevitable hurts of being human.
Joy becomes a reverent state of being 24/7, a presence, a constant, a mirror of the depth of eternal LOVE within your Heart & Soul.
How to Flourish your life through JOY
Savour your experiences of happiness & treasure each and every moment dearly.
But in order to experience the greatest depth of happiness, choose to cultivate a life built on the foundation of JOY that is seeded & flourished from the inside out.
Since JOY is the enduring essence of you, JOY naturally flourishes when you become more present to the simple things in life.
Watching the sunrise rise, cuddling a puppy, enjoying the sweet succulence of sugarsnap peas picked fresh from the garden, taking time to listen and melt into the sounds of nature and being grateful for simply breathing, being alive & part of this wondrous life.
Should you then happen to be moving through hard times, when despair, heart-wrenching pain, or long dark nights of the Soul have seemed to drain every last ounce of happiness from your veins… remember that the JOY that sits behind the depth of your sorrow is for ever present within your Heart.
You may not feel happy during these painful life-transitions, but you have a sense that JOY has never left you… but rather is sitting in the background – holding you, comforting you & ultimately guiding you into a greater and even more JOYful experience of your Soul.
So today, I am not just feeling happy from all the treasured family moments over this past week, but rather I am being nourished by a deeply fulfilling state of JOY. I am grateful to be alive and grateful to be a witness & participant in this thing called LIFE.
OmAhOm
Simone M. Matthews
Looking to flourish more JOY within your life?
Inviting you to study with me, at one of my upcoming Heart Retreats, attend one of my LIVE Workshops… or even enrol in one of my online Self-Study Courses… and discover a presence, a state of JOY, a deeply invigorating experience of life.
