Recently I’ve been noticing a lot of things to feel sad, scared or angry about. I could list a lot of things that are happening in the world right now that are scary and frightening and make me sad but I won’t. You’ve hearing enough about them already.

Most days it feels like we’re living in a dystopian novel

Recently I realized that the world we are living in is all too much like the one in George Orwell’s dystopian novel, 1984.

“There will be no curiosity, no enjoyment of the process of life. All competing pleasures will be destroyed. But always—do not forget this, Winston—always there will be the intoxication of power, constantly increasing and constantly growing subtler. Always, at every moment, there will be the thrill of victory, the sensation of trampling on an enemy who is helpless…” — George Orwell 1984

I think that unfortunately we are living in “interesting” times—times where the old way of being is dissolving and the new way has not yet emerged (at least I hope and pray that it has not emerged). We are living in liminal space. The dissolution of order that seems to be occurring is creating a fluid, malleable, unpredictable situation.

What’s a person to do in these disturbing and uncertain times?

We Need Joy More Than Ever

It’s more important than ever to focus on habits and practices that bring one joy, especially in the midst of change, chaos and sorrow. I believe that connecting with my joy connects me more deeply to my soul, so I seek out things that bring me joy. And I include daily practices that nourish joy like gratitude, meditation, wonder, and stillness.

Happiness is like rising bubbles — delightful and inevitably fleeting. Joy is the oxygen — ever present.

Joy is the fibre of your Soul. —Danielle LaPorte

I think it’s possible to grieve with your whole heart, and still experience and sense joy. Joy is not an emotion — it is getting in touch with your true authentic self.

Instead of continuing to practice the culture’s addictive drive of performance, achieving, and consuming which usually are not at all related to authentic joy, why not turn your attention to pleasing yourself first?

Turn yourself to joy

Pay attention to the frisson of excitement in your gut, the magnetic pull of beauty, and the lifting in your heart you feel when you witness ordinary miracles.

Create space for your soul to distract you.

How do we discover and practice joy?

Slow down. Listen more, speak less. Take time out—create space for your soul to speak to you.

Find a way to be curious and open about whatever life brings  you.

Create. Connect. Appreciate. Experience wonder. These are powerful ways to nourish joy. Take time to listen to your heart. Meditate. Pray. Dance. Spend time in nature. Seek out beauty.

The more you listen, the more likely you will discover your joy. Following your joy is your way of serving the world. Try eliminating the word “should” from your vocabulary and your heart. What is it you long to do? Explore a new art or passion. Go somewhere new. And pay attention as you explore new practices and places. Joyful activities are not always fun and easy. Sometimes following your joy is hard. But beneath the difficulty there is a sense of “Yes. This is my path. This is it.”

Your joy is your service. Let it light the world around you.

When you can stand in your own authentic joy you will find the way to serve with joy, through joy, into wholeness.

How you listen is how you live
(A poem for being of service)

You may hear this as an order, an invitation, or as the opportunity of lifetimes.

How you listen is how you live.
Can you hear the women crying?
Can you hear the soil gasping for clean air?
And did you hear that?
That’s the sound of a good man asking, How can I serve?

Only with all of you. Mostly by being informed. Entirely with your longing.

Root your life so deeply into your Soul that comparisons, and materialism, and status quo idealism, and the lie called media realism cannot possibly sway your Truth.

You won’t be a sucker for motivation. You will be a devotee of inspiration.

You want to serve? (Please say yes.) Then do what ambition tells you not to do. Forget your goals and your regimens. Be very still and lean in to listen to the pain of the world. And then it will be very clear what to do when you know the Truth. You will let your heart blaze. And your solutions will be fierce with Love, fast with delivery, and sustaining.

You will walk into any room and you will bring joy to bear on the situation.
And it will sound like this:

I am listening.
I know who I am.
And I am here to serve.

   — Danielle LaPorte,

Here are some things in no particular order which bring me joy: Seeing a flock of birds swooping through the sky, butterflies fluttering in the air, hummingbirds flying, seeing a bald eagle flying high overhead, the sound of raindrops on a tin roof, a freshly blooming flower, the glow of a person’s face, kittens and puppies, dragonflies, walking in the woods, tall trees, lakes, the cacaphony of sound of a group of trumpeter swans, baby ducks in the pond, the breeze on my skin, laughter of children, a beautiful sunset, reflections of clouds in a lake, dancing to Irish music in my living room, listening to cello music, making photographs, lighting a candle, seeing turtles on a log in the pond, the scent of spring in the air, fresh picked raspberries, and laughing with friends.

Sometimes I believe that the sense of joy is nothing more than feeling intensely whole and alive in the moment. Even in the midst of great difficulty and pain joy can always be accessed, often through the body, nature, or beauty, always through being present in the moment. What makes you feel alive?

What brings you joy?

May you walk in beauty (and joy).