PEBBLE
Joy doesn’t have to wait until the hard stuff is over. It can exist in simple, ordinary moments alongside the mess. Joy isn’t a reward for overcoming pain; it’s the practice that helps us get through it.
-Lori Deschene, shared by Dawn in Waupaca, WI
BOULDER
Joy has grit. It isn’t fluffy or ephemeral. Joy is what we feel in our bones when we feel connected to what is good, beautiful, meaningful. Grief doesn’t just vanish because joy comes. Instead, joy has a mysterious capacity to be felt alongside sorrow and even in the midst of suffering.
-Angela Williams Gorrell (lightly edited), from “The Gravity of Joy as quoted here
PONDER
I found today’s Pebble even more meaningful with the context Dawn provided when submitting the quote: “My husband has a neurodegenerative disease,” she explained. “It would be easy to be angry or feel sorry for myself (and him) but instead we choose to stay grateful for all the positive things we have in our life. And there are many! Being grateful and finding joy really does help us to get through the hard stuff.”
The Boulder reinforces a point that’s been rippling through many of our issues lately: life’s inevitable hard stuff doesn’t have to completely bury the good stuff. We don’t have to choose between slogging through the muck and skipping along in blissful ignorance. We can acknowledge the weight of a difficult situation and still make room for joy.
This pivot from either/or to both/and is easier to write about than it is to actively practice in my daily life. Especially when a couple challenges land back-to-back, I can feel the quicksand of despair pulling me down. Making time for daily meditation has helped me get better at stepping back and creating a little space between what’s going on and how I want to respond. Whenever that happens, opportunities for joy start to appear here and there, like little life preservers to help me stay afloat.
Without forcing it too much, maybe you can make a little extra room for joy this week?
Peace,
Paul
P.S. Since it’s May 4th, I feel compelled to share this joyful video and say: May the Fourth be with you!