Unlock your Joy !!

“Be Kind to yourself.  You may not be perfect, but you are all you’ve got to work with.”    - Henepola Gunaratana








This morning, I went for a long walk in a city park on the river bank.  The sound of nature moved me…the poplar trees rustling in the breeze, the scurry of the chipmunks competing with a group of birds at a bird feeder that someone erected. The sights of nature were there as well…the footprints of a bear on the shore, a mass of white feathers, some still with blood on the roots indicating a loss of a bird overnight, dozen’s of grasshoppers constantly taking flight in front of my path and the wild daisies throughout.
I read Whoopi Goldberg’s latest book over the past week, “Bits and Pieces”.  One of the readings stuck with me:  “There’s bad in the world that you can’t do anything about.  1.Do I allow those bad things stunt my growth as a human being? or 2. Am I just going to sit down and die over it? or 3. Or, do I figures out how I can be better?   Which option/s are a waste of time?” 
As I pondered this thought, I would add to it that it doesn’t help anything or anyone to rattle on and complain about it either.  What can I do, I asked?  For me, I strive to be the best I can be, live everyday to the fullest, and am grateful for all I do have.  I can try and make a difference everyday to someone I encounter.  On my walk today, I said “Good Morning” to every walker, every cyclist, every jogger and everyone I saw sitting on a memorial bench. 
This afternoon, I am re-reading Jann Arden’s book, “If I Knew Then - Finding wisdom in failure and power in aging”.  If you are a woman in your 50-70’s, this is a must read.  She talks about not really paying attention to who she was, or was becoming in her 40’s and early 50’s, but as she enters her 60’s and 70’s, she is seeing it differently.  
My favourite quote so far, is exactly how I am feeling right now, and for the last 4 + years… “What I think about now couldn’t be further from brooding on time running out.  Instead, I’m focused on reimagining and reinvention, the act of becoming someone I always hoped I would be.  I feel that I am a wise woman emerging through the trees with a renewed sense of the purpose of my own glorious life.”  Jann, I feel exactly the same!
I have found so many ways over the last couple of years to unlock my Joy.  Reading powerful memoirs of strong women such as Whoopi, Jann, Glennon Doyle, Margaret Atwood, Elizabeth Gilbert, Emily Carr, Judith Duerk, and soooo many others inspire me…
I feel honoured to grow older and wiser.  I have lost friends who left the planet so many years younger than myself, so I am grateful for my opportunities. News flash, we are all going to die one day.  I accept that, and because of that am determined to make the most of all I can.
Today’s Lesson : Find a Way to Unlock your Joy !

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