Dear Diary,
I recently experienced joy again, actual legitimate joy. Joy is such a unique, incomparable feeling; I was amazed at how much I had forgotten what it felt like. I’ve been content; I’ve had fleeting moments of happiness, but both of those are (or can be) more contained to the person experiencing them. Joy, however, isn’t a base emotion compared to happiness; joy is an outwardly radiant, pure combination of happiness and peace, and I am rarely ever peaceful. When you see a joyful person, you know it swiftly, and it can be contagious in the best way!
What does it mean for something to be ‘pure?’ In chemical terms, purity is the absence of a contaminant, and we can adopt a similar idea for life as a whole. Purity is the full experience of something, absent thoughts, feelings, or other distractions that take away from the experience. Purity is the reward for practicing the skill of being present. At the beginning of the practice, we need largely pre-arranged, sanitized situations in which to practice, and that’s ok. Over time, though, one can remain present with increasing amounts of stressors and distractions.
We often think of children as pure. If we think of purity as ‘the full experience of something,’ it is easy to see why; children, hopefully, haven’t endured any trauma or other hard lessons that would interfere with what we would describe as innocence – the ability to dream, ask questions, and put forth ideas wholeheartedly and without fear. We old folk, having our innocence lost, no longer have such ability, but deep down, we still quietly dream even if we keep it to ourselves or a carefully guarded few.
Innocence is one of many reasons a connection to nature is so important. Nature is innocent. The flowers simply grow and bloom; the birds simply fly and sing; the tides and moon dance of their accord. The trees don’t cut healthcare for the poor to benefit themselves, and the clouds don’t provide shade based on your race, sex, gender, religion, nationality, etc. Nature just is, and change is the nature of nature. We, too, can change while still being our authentic selves.
Nature doesn’t need our constant judgment, and neither do most things. Judgment takes us away from being present and is the fastest way to overthink things. Overthinking things is the quickest way to move away from purity, the whole experience of something, as we’ve added unnecessary detrimental extra ingredients to the experience. It’s ok to enjoy something for what it is without trying to add or take away anything from it. It’s ok to enjoy something for what it is without trying to categorize or quantify it. It’s ok to enjoy something for what it was and let it go.
Be present; you are worth it. When you have the opportunity to be truly joyful, embrace it while in it and be grateful for it after it’s gone.
reBLUEvinate.