Today I was unable to go to our community meeting as my eye felt weird and so I wanted to go and get it checked out. I phoned my usual optician as I know they can check the pressure behind my eye which just felt different. They sounded concerned about what I was telling them and said best get it checked. They said they would ring back within the hour to let me know who the on call optician was. Anyway they rang back and said there we no available slots so I should go to A&E (which doesn’t have any equipment to check the pressure behind my eye) anyway that’s not the story. The story is while I was waiting, half over hearing the person talking loudly on their phone about how they had been beaten up by their ex partner I phoned my children to check they were ok home alone. (I didn’t think it wise to drive the half an hour journey by myself). It just so made me laugh, there they were home alone with their Mum in A&E and the first thing they said was to ask me if they could have a pet!
I guess the point of this is to say that joy is unexpected and comes to you when perhaps you least expect it. They were laughing on the phone. The volume was turned up that extra bit too high when you notice the otherwise silence around you so the whole place got to hear them ask me for the new pet! Heard their play and their laughter, anyway it just tickled me. They looked so happy and chatting together (usually as siblings they always find something to fuss about so this just brought me so much joy).
Later when I got home I joined the Race Reflections Joy event and it was so nice to just connect with others and talk and feel joy. (Don’t forget they are opening up for new members next month Memberships – RACE REFLECTIONS )
It made me realise how easy it is to let ourselves get sucked up with the crap in the world. We did an exercise in mindfulness and I felt my body heat up with excitement, lightness and joy as I took time to really connect to my feeling of joy.
I focused on a joyful thing that happened during the week. While I was cycling back from my cousin the other day it was sunny and that cold wind that we’ve had lately had dropped and so there was even a bit of warmth in the air. I felt so free and joyful it nearly made me laugh out loud as I let my imagination run away with me. I was wearing a cape and it was out floating in the wind as I rode along and suddenly I felt like a witch on a broom stick and it just made me laugh. It was actually blissful in that moment as I cycled, flying along, cape billowing in the wind, ready to take off.
Dr Kinouani reminded us that if we centre joy we feel the benefits of it in hope and wellbeing, connection with others and better health too. It reminds me how in our groups people used to come in looking dreadful and within an hour would look altogether different. Revived and ready to face whatever challenges they had next. I certainly felt that today, during and after this group.
So as was suggested I plan to be more intentional with joy. Making a joy inventory sounds like a faff worth doing. I’ll give some thought to the things that bring me joy, have a bit more of that. It was great to connect with the people in the group. Lots to think and write about but just now? I’ll centre joy. You?