Cultivating Stillness in a Chaotic World
Have you ever questioned the definition of joy? The word is used as a synonym for happiness and contentment, but are these ideas interchangeable? And what about other nouns that are stirred in–hope, grace, mercy, and gratitude? Are they just words? All…
What if joy was a rare event, occurring only once a year? Not only would we look forward to that day, we would also worry that something might steal it. Oh, Lord, what if we got food poisoning? What if…
I once knew a lady who hunted disappointments the way a squirrel searches for acorns. As the woman repeated a litany of daily insults and horrors, her black mood seeped into me. When I finally stopped listening to the emotional…
Have you ever questioned the definition of joy? The word is used as a synonym for happiness and contentment, but are these ideas interchangeable? And what about other nouns that are stirred in–hope, grace, mercy, and gratitude? Are they just words?
All month, I pondered the meanings. I thought while I baked pies, sauteed mushrooms, and made ice cream. Leave it to a food-obsessed person to have her own world view.
Happiness can be a fleeting as the buzz from a spoonful of manuka honey. It can be anything from a new dress to a new kitchen, causing an eruption of warm, fizzy euphoria, but these moments always fade, prompting us to reach for another shot of happiness.
Hope reminds me of stout beer, an acquired taste. Just when it starts to go down easy, the foam flattens and sours. You can lose hope as easily as beer can lose its head.
Mercy functions in a life the way butter functions in cooking, adding tenderness, working in tandem with other ingredients to add flavor and texture. In a recipe, the exact amount of butter must be used or failure will result; but in our daily lives, any amount of mercy brings compassion and forgiveness.
Contentment is a kind of yeast, allowing our souls to rise.
Joy is the stabilizer that holds whipped cream together, maintaining shape and preventing weeping.
Grace is like salt, a quiet powerhouse that acts as a preservative. Just like in cooking, it’s the boss, and it just calms everything down. It also strengthens dough, keeps yeast under control, all the while encouraging and brightening flavors.
But gratitude is the whole meal.
Our gratitude is noticed. If we’re paying attention, we notice little (and big) holy moments coming our way.
The wise woman is always alert to the minutia–the itty bitty-ness of things. A gift may be so simple, we may overlook it. You see, the divine speaks in a soft voice, and it’s up to us to listen.
When we grow a foundation of grace and joy, we begin to notice ordinary miracles: The spicy aroma of a freshly baked apple pie. Pink crepe myrtle blossoms carried by the wind. Arranging wildflowers and vines in an old vase. Watching cardinals perch on a sunflower feeder. Scratching a puppy’s belly. A sudden rain after 100-degree days. If we pay attention, we see the precise moment when summer turns into autumn–a certain shift of light, a crispness in the early morning air, yellow leaves spinning to the ground.
These simple moments add up to the sum of a lifetime.
Little bitty moments deserve our gratitude.
When a day goes wrong, take a moment. Draw in a breath. Reboot your thoughts. Look around. Find at least one blessing, however small, and offer gratitude. Choose to believe that a miracle is on the way.
Thank you for reading, for leaving thought provoking comments on Instagram, and for just being here.
You lift my heart.
May your days be filled with grace, joy, and miracles.
What if joy was a rare event, occurring only once a year? Not only would we look forward to that day, we would also worry that something might steal it. Oh, Lord, what if we got food poisoning? What if we fell off a mountain or a mountain fell on us? We might string up imaginary barbed wire, hoping to snag trouble before it had a chance to creep up and steal our joy. The problem is, we could get tangled in our self-protection, sabotaging that one, magical day.
Fact: It’s impossible to fill your cup with joy if it’s already overflowing with worry or regret. A positive outlook can change our lives. That may sound facile, but it’s the truest thing I know.
In 1856, a newspaper in Colchester, England wrote about the potent force of our thoughts. Years later, in 1872, an Iowa newspaper reworked the idea a bit.
“Plant a thought and reap a word.
Plant a word and reap an action.
Plant an action and reap a habit.
Plant a habit and reap a character.”
Plant a character and reap a destiny.”
–Bishop Beckwaith (credited)
Thoughts turn into action.
Action creates destiny.
If your thoughts and actions are negative, you may be lucky to experience joy once a year.
I once knew a lady who hunted disappointments the way a squirrel searches for acorns. As the lady repeated a litany of daily insults and horrors, her black mood seeped into me. When I finally stopped listening to the emotional tirades, I felt happier and healthier.
Moods are contagious.
Don’t let a miserable person make you miserable. Happiness can be elusive because we are human. We don’t live alone. We have loving families and live in communities. It can feel selfish to follow your dreams–and dreams require tending.
During the long winter, I studied positive affirmations, and I slowly began to understand that I was like Dorothy Gale, stuck in Oz, unaware that I had the power to return home by clicking the heels of my ruby slippers. Instead of slippers, I had another tool: I could change how I began each day. I could choose optimism.
I wrote down an affirmation. Then I said the words out loud. I imagined the words rising into the wind. And I let them go.
During my research, I read that negative thinking will rewire the brain, so you end up like the woman who hunted disappointments. Luckily, positive thoughts rewire neural pathways, too.
Thoughts can shape your destiny.
And what about that strange world that has one joyful day a year?
Isn’t it marvelous that we live in a world where we can choose to be joyful every single day. Maybe we’ll only catch a buoyant moment while we’re in the butterfly garden. Maybe we’ll have a quiet, blissful walk in the woods, gathering sticks.
One second. One minute. One day.
No matter: it’s a gift.
During that time, we let worries be.
We hit negativity with a brick. Whomp it upside the head.
And we will just be happy.
Thoughts turn into action.
Action creates destiny.
I once knew a lady who hunted disappointments the way a squirrel searches for acorns. As the woman repeated a litany of daily insults and horrors, her black mood seeped into me. When I finally stopped listening to the emotional tirades, I felt happier and healthier.
Moods are contagious. Don’t let a miserable person make you miserable. Don’t feel guilty about setting much-needed boundaries. And don’t apologize. This is your life. Do you want to infuse it with strife or wonder?
Duis. Happiness can be elusive because we are human. We don’t live in sealed packages. We have friends and families; we live in communities.
During the long winter, I studied positive affirmations, and I slowly began to understand that I was like Dorothy Gale, stuck in Oz, unaware that I had the power to return home by clicking the heels of my ruby slippers. Instead of magical shoes, I had another tool: I could change how I began each day. I could choose optimism. I could be thankful for the simplest things: a sunrise, gingerbread cookies, or Advent candles.
I wrote down an affirmation. Then I walked outside and spoke the words out loud. I imagined the vowels rising into the wind. And I let them go. Negative thinking will rewire the brain, and you might end up like the woman who hunted disappointments. Luckily, positive thoughts rewire neural pathways, too.
Thoughts can shape your destiny.
Isn’t it marvelous that we live in a world where we can choose to be joyful every single day. Maybe we’ll catch a buoyant moment while we’re in the butterfly garden. Or we may find peace while exploring your backyard, have a quiet, gathering sticks or watching the sky.
All it takes is your time. One second. One minute. One day. No matter: it’s a gift. During that time, we let worries fall away.
Today, I will counter negativity with gratitude.
I will choose to be happy. Won’t you join me?
Have you ever questioned the definition of joy? The word is used as a synonym for happiness and contentment, but are these ideas interchangeable? And what about other nouns that are stirred in–hope, grace, mercy, and gratitude? Are they just words? All…
What if joy was a rare event, occurring only once a year? Not only would we look forward to that day, we would also worry that something might steal it. Oh, Lord, what if we got food poisoning? What if…
I once knew a lady who hunted disappointments the way a squirrel searches for acorns. As the woman repeated a litany of daily insults and horrors, her black mood seeped into me. When I finally stopped listening to the emotional…
― E.B. White
