...happy, happy, joy, joy

   

Happy is having someone buy a Spirit Figure….a call from Timberline saying, “one of your dolls just sold to a….”  Joy is when I am actually part of the experience…when I am there to connect with the person who has connected to one of my figures…..

Joy and happiness are different.

Happy can be faked….I often put on a happy face to go out into the world…and I suppose that is a good and acceptable thing to do.  Art shows and social events are an example of putting on a happy face.  Art shows can be hard, and I’m basically a hermit so social events can leave me drained.  But I’ve also discovered a time with my happy face on can lead to happy.  A rewarding experience…faking it can lead to real moments of happiness.

But joy, joy is different. For me it is a full body thing.
Not too very long ago I visited Yosemite Park….We went to Glacier Point….maybe you’ve been there?  

It is one of those places that brings me to tears, makes me shake a little…
I can feel Spirit from my nose to my toes.  
It brings me to a place of joy even as it makes me feel so small, insignificant in my petty worries and fears,moments of loneliness….it is a release.  
And somehow it is a filling up with love...joy…an invisible connection to all that is….A recognition that we are all in this together….humans seeking connection…it is connection that brings me joy.  

Joy is the connections with others on this crazy ride..
It is when the shield between us comes down.  


Isn't it what we are all seeking, rather or not we put it into words?  
Those moments when we look into each others eyes and see that they really see us?  And we can see them?  When the soul shines through and you know you are not alone.  When you feel that trust and love of knowing we have shared experiences of life and love.  When you know for however briefly that they have experienced the same hopes, dreams and fears, joy and sadness?  The times when we know we are more alike than separate?
When you feel each others hearts?
Trust and believe.
See their truth.

Lately I’ve been doing a little experiment…I’ve been looking into peoples eyes….when I walk down the street I try to make eye contact….it’s been interesting….Some people will look away quickly…if feels almost fearful.  Some people will look but not acknowledge any change…but then there are those people who will nod or smile and there is that momentary connect…’hey, fellow human, what a journey, huh?’….
it is a little moment of joy that almost makes me skip…

And this is part of the experiment too…I’ve started to really look at those people who serve me when I go about my day.  The ones that are often invisible to me.....he cashiers and waitresses, the clerks and the service people…I've been looking in their eyes and really asking, “How are you today?”  
It’s leading to some really interesting conversations…people want to share....and I'm finding some of these people aren't at all who I thought they were.

You might ask why this experiment?  Well it is interesting, and for someone as curious about so much it engages me.  
But on a bigger scale it is connection that I see so absent in the world.  
In my view we have become a world of US and Them and until this changes there will be no peace on earth….I need to start seeing the humanity in others…having those heart to heart, eye to eye moments more often…
it brings joy. little joys can fill me up....Make it easier to find my happy face.

....play, pray. love

You're never going to get to any final place. And so, we want to remind you to relax and start having fun on the way......Abraham

I've spent a great deal of the summer being self-absorbed...

trying to figure it out...

simplify...

I want this phase of my life to be gentle, balanced, creative and playful...

I don't do well with drama

I know so many women who are looking inside, in flux...

some on the verge of leaving a long standing relationship....

some trying to figure out what will feed their soul and incorporate it into their lives in a bigger way....

some ready to break out of the box that we often find ourselves in do to expectations...

some trying to simplify...

some learning to play again....we forget...

I think if someone asked me my spiritual philosophy right now

I would just say

to love and play

It's not that I'm unhappy with my life....

it isn't that easy....

I have so many blessings...

no question about that, I am often overwhelmed with gratitude....

I want a stronger connection with Spirit....with the Spirit in me

and that seems to bring me to a place of clearing out old patterns and beliefs that are no longer serving me and opening wider to all the possibilities....fearlessly

becoming more awake...

more giving....

playing more...it isn't all so serious...

more aware and much more disciplined in my spiritual practice....

and I get lazy about that...

and it is the most necessary practice for opening,

softening and experiencing more joy.....

and I have a very fertile imagination when it comes to what might be... don't misunderstand, I love my imaginings....but I also need to stay grounded and present....some of my imaginings take on a life of there own taking more energy than they should...oh my...so much work...so little time...

in joy....

“ memories flood in...
regrets tug in one direction...
joys tug in another...
how do you hold a lifetime in your hands?
and what do you do now?
maybe you do the only thing that
ever really mattered -
you love.
you offer love.
you give love.
you receive love.
you breathe love.
you live love.
you love. ”

~terri st. cloud

With love in you, your only need is to extend it.-- A Course in Miracles

from Eat Pray Love........

I keep remembering one of my Guru’s teachings about happiness. She says that people universally tend to think that happiness is a stroke of luck, something that will maybe descend upon you like fine weather if you’re fortunate enough. But that’s not how happiness works. Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it.

You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings…And once you have achieved a state of happiness, you must never become lax about maintaining it, you must make a mighty effort to keep swimming upward into that happiness forever, to stay afloat on top of it. If you don’t, you will leak away your innate contentment. It’s easy enough to pray when you’re in distress but continuing to pray even when your crisis has passed is like a sealing process, helping your soul hold tight to its good attainments.

On this day of your life, dear friend, I believe God wants you to know...

the time has come for you to nourish your soul...

When was the last time that you swam naked?

Or sang in the shower? Or blew bubbles?

Or held a puppy? Or kissed a baby?

Or made love all Sunday afternoon?

Or prayed really softly, not from need, but from love?

Has it been a while?

Then hurry. Do it.

Hurry.

This is life that is going by..

Neale Donald Walsch

.....miracles abound

everyday blessings....too many to count...

..... powers of creativity and joy.

Self-Portrait 2000

This article is well worth the read....beautiful, inspiring and hopeful..enjoy

"Our World Is In Peril, How Do You Cope?"

by John Robbins

I am someone who longs for world peace. Perhaps you are, too. But every single day our world spends more than $4 billion on war. The last hundred years have been by far the bloodiest in human history. I support human rights and human dignity. I want every child to grow up healthy and strong. No doubt you do, too. But today, like every day, 20,000 children will die of hunger and poverty. Even in the world's wealthiest country, the U.S., nearly 25 percent of children live below the poverty line. I believe in upholding the brotherhood and sisterhood of all people. I believe in the inherent worth of every human being. But we live in a time of grotesque inequalities. There are shoe companies who pay famous athletes $20 million to endorse their shoes, while paying their workers only 20 cents an hour to make them. The CEOs of some companies make more money in an hour than many of the company's employees make in a year.

Many of the world's spiritual traditions teach that inner peace is found when you love the world as it is, rather than faulting it for not living up to your expectations. But our addictions are not only damaging our spirits, they are also causing irreparable harm to the biosphere and to humanity's future.

I believe in holding a positive attitude toward life. But the rate at which forests are disappearing, coral reefs are deteriorating, the arctic ice cap is melting, and species are going extinct is undermining the capacity of the earth to support human life. I draw strength from my kinship with animals. Some of my best friends have had four legs. Perhaps you, too, have had a relationship with an animal that has enriched you as a human being. But today, almost all of our meat and dairy products come from animals raised under conditions of horrific cruelty.

There are so many kinds of pain and loss in our times. There is illness and financial stress, there is growing unemployment and homelessness, there are oil spills and terrorists. It can seem that our little flickering candles of faith are no match for the hurricane winds of destruction and despair the world can so relentlessly blow our way. There are things happening in our world today that must make the angels weep.

Here's what I believe. If you are going to face the suffering and destruction of life, and if you want to find a way to be effective and positive in response, you must also be open to the life affirming powers of creativity and joy. It can sometimes seem that we are on a planetary death march, and yet we are also living in an age of miracles. Some are so common we often take them for granted. There is the miracle of color and the miracle of music. There is the miracle of tears and the miracle of laughter. There is the miracle of breathing and the miracle of sunsets. There is the miracle of people continuing to strive for a happier world even in the face of devastation and grief.

At this very moment, people are learning new ways to communicate, to understand each other, and to resolve conflicts. Right now, people are learning to read, while others are writing poetry, and others are dancing and singing. With every breath you take, relationships are growing, new health-giving practices are being discovered, ancient feuds are being overcome, and people are finding ways to restore their connections to the living earth. At this moment, as in every moment, ever growing numbers of people are working for a better world for themselves and for all children, now and yet to come.


We are not done. Our despair is not meant to destroy us but to awaken new life in us. Our wounds can give us depth, empathy and understanding. Our hardships can be places where we meet others and grow. Yes, there is ugliness, which is why it matters when we bring beauty. Yes, there is great suffering, so let us live with great compassion. This is what I have to say at this time in history. There are forces at work in the human psyche that are destructive and unconscious. And yet there is also something in us that is wondrous, that touches the infinite and belongs to the sacred.

Let us stand for this. Our dreams and prayers are rooted in something greater than the forces of death. Our grief and fury at the world's brutalities are part of our awakening. There is something mysterious taking place in this world that is part of our healing. With all its delusions and broken dreams, our world today is still a place where our hearts can meet and grow wings. There is horror and agony here, yes, and it is at times overwhelming. But there are also countless opportunities for the illumination of beauty and the awakening of love.


We are not done. There are sources of joy here, and we are here to protect them and cherish them. We are not done. We can still make our lives into works of art. We can still create thriving, just and sustainable ways of life. Bitter winds are howling. Let them howl. We can shelter each other and put our little flames together. Maybe we will yet find that the pain we feared would destroy us rather brings us back to what gives us life.

We are here to live, not merely survive. We are here to fully express and celebrate the gifts we each have to give to the world, and to receive the gifts that others have to give to us, as well. Let us touch with love the inevitable suffering in our lives, and in the lives of those we meet. Let us tend with tender mercy that which is dying in us and in our world. And let us welcome the new life dawning in each of our souls. We who are alive, with breath in our bodies and love in our hearts, have so very much to be thankful for. In all that takes place over the course of our lives, may we never lose track of our capacity for joy. And may we never forget the power of the choices we make."

- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-robbins/our-world-is-in-peril-how_b_563185.html

....joy

....little bit of joy garden!

....and more joy

Behind this door is where I work and play...meditate and rock out~
I find joy here!

....more joy please

Joy …
It’s a word that stops me in my tracks. It’s never a negative….it’s every color…it’s something we are blessed to experience….

Joy...we all want it and there is plenty to go around
…it should be one of the rules of the road…everyone should experience joy as a regular part of their day.

Joy is not in things; it is in us.
~Richard Wagner

If Karma is a mix of circumstance and choice…do we....can we,create our own joy?

May your walls know joy; May every room hold laughter
and every window open to great possibility.
~Maryanne Radmacher-Hershey

The world would be a joy filled place if it was a human right
to be able to follow our dreams...

Winning is important to me, but what brings me real joy is the experience of being fully engaged in whatever I'm doing...
~Phil Jackson

joy's soul lies in the doing.
~ William Shakespeare


I have a pretty joy filled life

I experience gratitude all the time
....joy comes in small bundles as well as big ones.
There are times when I forget that….
holding out for big ones to celebrate….
ignoring the small….

I need to take joy breaks during the day….sometimes we have to seek joy out.

Stress of the goings on in the world can sometimes wipe out joy for a few days and then I have to take a news break for several weeks….the worlds in a bit of a mess…we need
more joy.
Wish I knew how to make that happen….

The most profound joy has more of gravity than of gaiety in it.
~Michel de Montaigne

Sometimes I don’t recognize the joy I’m feeling while I’m experiencing it,
it’s the looking back,
the telling of it, that brings it into full focus…

Grief can take care of itself, but to get the full value of a joy you must have somebody to divide it with.
~mark Twain

Joy comes to me in whispers….I have to listen..

When all our selfish, agitating desires have been expelled from our mind, what is left is pure joy, pure spirit, of which we have been unaware for all this time.
~eknath easwaran

Things are enjoyable,...I need my stuff...(should I have more than I need?)
but it is the joyful moments of a day that I remember…..

When we break through to the deeper recesses of our consciousness,
our capacity for joy is unlimited..
~eknath easwarn

Just imagine..unlimited joy…wow!