Let joy find you without you striving for it.
You've been taught to work for joy.
To earn joy with effort.
To fast fix your brokenness in order to succeed.
Finish the to-do list.
Heal more.
Try harder,
Then you'll reach joy.
But joy doesn't live behind a magical velvet curtain.
Joy lives in your life right now,
Waiting for you to stop sprinting past it.
So pause for a second.
Feel the weight of your body on whatever's holding you.
Notice the way air enters your lungs without needing permission.
That's joy's beginning.
The privilege of breathing.
It's the privilege that you get to exist in this world.
On this giant planet.
Called Earth.
Joy will feel quiet at first if you're not used to it.
It's the whisper that comes when you see the light dance in between the branches of trees.
Instead of always forgetting to look up.
It's the tiny exhilaration in your heart when someone gives you a compliment.
Instead of shaking it off and holding on to the insults instead.
It's the seeing what you do already have instead of fixating on what's wrong or what's lacking.
When you stop controlling and forcing joy tiptoes in.
It doesn't ask you to work for it,
It just wants space so it can come in and illuminate you.
So let's make some space now,
Shall we?
Think of one thing that used to make you grin from ear to ear.
A particular song.
A funny photo of someone you love.
A memory that glows brighter than all the rest.
Play it in your mind now like an old movie.
And notice what happens in your body.
That's joy sprinkling their essence back into you.
Joy doesn't need your perfection,
It needs your presence.
Your willingness to connect deeper to yourself and the beautiful world around you.
Because when you're present like that.
.
.
When you're more present in your own life.
That's how you let joy come to you.
And if you feel guilty for enjoying some joy while the world around you is so chaotic,
Please remember this.
Joy doesn't ignore the pain.
It balances it.
It's what gives you enough energy to keep going.
Maybe your joy today is ridiculously small.
The smell of toast.
The sound of rain,
The ridiculous face your pet makes when it yawns.
Let everything count.
And say this quietly now.
I'm open to joy finding me today.
Keep that line as a key in your pocket.
And when anxiety tries to lock you out.
.
.
Use this key.
I'm open to joy finding me today.
Because joy is not a finish line.
It's a privilege you were born with and you have the right to inhale it daily.
