Practicing Joy stumped me for a while. Most of you know by now that I’m usually ready to
expound on just about anything. Something about this one, though, held me up. Maybe it felt a
little too much like Practicing Gratitude. You know what I mean, being thankful for what you
have and pushing down the challenges we face. That’s never worked for me and, I’d wager, it
isn’t good for us. We can be thankful for what we have and recognize that circumstances are
unjust, unreasonable, or that they just suck. We’re obviously not asking anyone to ignore the
hard stuff, so what does the Practice of Joy or Practicing Joy look like?
The first thing that comes to mind for me is practicing music. The connection between a Practice and practicing is a little on the nose, but it really is an intentional effort at self-fulfillment for me. I enjoy the challenge, the feeling of accomplishment, the skill development, and more that comes from individual effort in music. Playing with and for others is a Joy. The shared experience of the performer and listener is evocative of a potentially endless array of emotions. It’s more than just doing what makes me happy, but I believe the intention is what makes it more meaningful.
When you do what brings Joy, do it on purpose. Do it not to take the place of whatever is hard
right now, but because it is worth the effort. It’s not hedonistic; simply recognize that you
deserve joy and allow yourself to experience it. The inertia of melancholy can be hard to
overcome; the first steps should be small. There is goodness, kindness, beauty and more in the
world. It’s good to remember that. It’s good to remember that there is also goodness, kindness,
beauty and joy in you.
~Ian Van Sice
