Making Space For Joy

How often do we connect with joy and what makes us happy? It's often the simple things in life that bring us the most meaning, fulfilllment and joy and yet these moments can pass us by in a haze of busyness and demands.

Give some space with me to connect with joy and relish the moments that may have passed unnoticed.

Transcript

Hello and welcome again to today's meditation,

A contemplative space,

Trying to reflect and take a breath.

And today we're going to make room for joy.

So I'm going to lead you in a few reflections on joy,

Just something from my own experience last week.

And then we're going to go into more of a contemplative space to ponder,

Consider,

And be with joy and connect with that in our own lives through thankfulness.

So making space for joy.

So I've been reflecting on how important it is to give attention to the joyful moments,

That place of savoring the awe and wonder of life,

And to celebrate the gifts that come to us,

However seemingly small and insignificant those gifts might be.

I think in life it's really easy to let emotions come and go.

They kind of filter through and one time we're feeling one thing,

Another time we're feeling another.

And they tend to just pass us by or we avoid them,

Or we place those emotions into our heads and go into fix it and control mode to try and deal with the problem that's causing the emotions.

Their presence can be easy to miss and we can often get stuck on the ones that are more difficult,

The ones that have a stronger pull and demand more of our attention,

Let alone giving time to being present to the small gifts that bring joy,

That actually probably come throughout the day every day.

So last week I went for my first early morning swim of the year,

So it was still May last week and it was really cold.

It took quite a while to get in as you can imagine and I didn't really get my breath back after I got into the water.

My breath never really came back to normal.

I shared this experience with a really dear friend and we stayed in for about 10 minutes and it was a really lovely time.

And Moth,

Our year old yellow lab was running around on the shore and even though it was 8 o'clock in the morning there were other people there and she was causing a bit of havoc.

But she was having such a great time and she was in and out of the water as well and it just added to the experience.

So as I came home I realised for the rest of that morning I felt a joy inside,

I felt a lightness of being and I really wanted to linger in that feeling to savour and enjoy it.

Joy is a gift but I think it can often be hidden from view by other more demanding needs that we are often surrounded with from others or those needs within ourselves.

So this meditation is inviting us to give some intentional time for joy.

So if you want to connect with those places that have brought you joy recently I invite you into this contemplative space.

So as usual we're going to come to stillness by bringing our attention to the breath,

That gentle movement of air in and out of the lungs.

You may want to take a few deeper breaths,

Allowing the inhale and the exhale to flow into one another,

To be deep and wide.

And as you keep your attention on breath,

Move away from that space in the head,

Move into the body,

Travel inwards to the core of your being,

To stillness,

To that peaceful place where your true nature is enfolded in God.

And in that deep place allow stillness and rest to come.

Travel into this quiet true place and welcome peace.

Spend a few moments being with this place of stillness,

Letting it enfold,

Letting it hold you,

Letting its peace absorb into your being.

And as you rest into this place allow yourself to remember a moment over these last few days that you're thankful for.

Welcome that memory,

It doesn't have to be anything big,

It could be drinking a cup of tea in the quiet of the garden,

Walking down the road and saying hello to somebody,

Feeling the sun on your face or talking with a friend.

Could be something more momentous than that,

Doesn't really matter what it is.

Welcome just one memory to surface and be present to that one thing that you find yourself being thankful for.

Now enter this memory,

Remember what it felt like in the moment.

What do you notice about it?

As you remember it now,

Is it causing any sensations in your body?

Try to experience the moment as much as you can so that you are re-immersed in it.

Come on in.

You relive this memory,

Become aware of the emotions that are being triggered.

How does going back into this joyful memory,

This place of thankfulness,

How does it make you feel?

May help you to name what you feel,

Joy,

Lightness,

Exuberance,

Excitement,

Anticipation,

Deep gratitude,

Thankfulness.

Welcome these emotions and give yourself to them,

Let yourself be with them and feel them as you stay present to these emotions.

Do you notice anything?

Does an image or sensation come to you?

Be present to what you may be noticing.

Do you have a sense that what you're feeling is inviting you to experience something that is deeper within yourself?

As you stay present to these emotions,

Do they open a space into which you want to go and explore and discover?

Continue to be present to what you're noticing.

Allow what you're noticing to speak and to lead you deeper into yourself and into God.

Do you feel a response within yourself that you want to make?

There may be something you want to say or do,

Give yourself time to do that,

To respond.

I'm going to finish by reading a poem by Mary Oliver and I'm going to read it twice so that you have the opportunity for the words to settle and to speak to you.

This called joy is not made to be a crumb.

If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy,

Don't hesitate,

Give into it.

There are plenty of lives and whole towns destroyed or about to be.

We are not wise and not very often kind and much can never be redeemed.

Still life has some possibility left.

Perhaps this is its way of fighting back,

That sometimes something happens better than all the riches or power in the world.

It could be anything,

But very likely you notice it in the instant when love begins.

Anyway,

That's often the case.

Anyway,

Whatever it is,

Don't be afraid of its plenty.

Joy is not made to be a crumb.

If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy,

Don't hesitate,

Give into it.

There are plenty of lives and whole towns destroyed or about to be.

We are not wise and not very often kind and much can never be redeemed.

Still life has some possibility left.

Perhaps this is its way of fighting back,

That sometimes something happens better than all the riches or power in the world.

It could be anything,

But very likely you notice it in the instant when love begins.

Anyway,

That's often the case.

Anyway,

Whatever it is,

Don't be afraid of its plenty.

Joy is not made to be a crumb.

I know for me that I need to remember that joy is not made to be a crumb.

And I need to remember to be thankful and to notice the small things that come my way every day.

There are those moments if I am present to them that provide joy and thankfulness,

That take me to those good and positive places within myself and within the world.

So I invite you to join me on a quest to notice,

A quest for joy,

A quest to be present to all of the good and all of those moments that give us a smile,

That help make us feel warm and joyful,

To enjoy the moments that come along every day.

It's been really good to be with you again and may grace and peace,

Blessing and joy accompany you as you go into your days and weeks.

Bye.

Reviews

So lovely! A really helpful practice to guide me to recognize and reconnect with moments of joy in daily life. Nicky - I’m so grateful for the practical wisdom and love that shine in your meditations.

Wow. I will listen to this again for sure. Thank you.

Just what I needed today. My recent memory of joy allowed my painful feelings to arise and pass to settle back into joy again. Thank you 🙏

Thank you! So helpful in this 3rd week of Advent 2020.
I'm looking forward to hearing it again!