Joy Is an Inside Job
When we get a little distance from the thoughts that parade through the mind, we begin to notice some themes in the content. One of the common threads that may reveal itself is a habit of believing that the key to our happiness lies in external circumstances or objects. We may see a nice house and think, “I’d be so happy living in that house”, or maybe we see a smiling child in a moment of good behavior and think, “I’d be so happy if my child acted like that”, or maybe we think back on pre-COVID times and think, “When this is all over I’ll be so much happier.” And many of us may find the mind telling us, “I won’t be happy unless my preferred candidate wins the election.”
When we sit with one of the joy practices (Gratitude, Empathetic Joy, Appreciation), either for extended periods in a morning or evening meditation session, or for brief moments throughout the day, there may arise within us a deeply felt sense that we have a far greater capacity for happiness than we often believe. When we sit in recognition of the crisp fall apple we had at breakfast, we can acknowledge all of the external factors that led to that apple being available to us: the farmer that planted the seed, the pollinators, the pickers, store clerks, the job we have that provided the funds to buy the apple…. AND we can also realize that the key to the happiness we felt when we looked at, held and ate that apple came from our pausing to acknowledge our good fortune - it came from within us. There may have been many apples in our lives that we ate mindlessly while reading the paper. Every apple has the ability to provide us with joy, and a sense of “needs met” and good fortune, if we let it.
Which is not to say that we shouldn’t take wise action to support our well-being and the well-being of others. Being open to the joy that is available to us can create the spark and energy for the wise action we need to take.
If you're leaning in to wise action this week, we invite you to join us for our nine live meditation sessions so that we can support you in your efforts.
May joy fuel wise action for all of us,
Your CMP Family
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In these challenging times, your support is more important than ever. As a nonprofit, we can’t cancel our needs to fundraise. We need your donations to continue offering meditation sessions.CMP is a licensed charity in the state of CT as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Checks can be mailed to Community Mindfulness Project, P.O. Box 1713, New Canaan, CT 06840. Credit cards are accepted at www.CommunityMindfulnessProject.org. Thank you!
