Joy

“Joy is what happens when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things are.”         Marianne Williamson

I love the subtlety of this quote.  Yes, joy happens (or can happen) when things are good, but the significant part of the quote to me is the “when we allow ourselves to recognize” part.  Stated another way, I often get tied up in this other side of the coin:

“Frustration happens when I fail to allow myself to recognize how bad things are.”

It is that inability, perhaps sometimes stubborn refusal, to see how good things are that creates anger, frustration, stress, and any other bad byproduct I want to name.  I am not channeling Pollyanna here.  At times bad things happen, but there is almost always a duality there, an “other side of the coin” that can emerge in the consciousness if I let it.

“Joy is what happens when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things are.”

Here’s to joy.