Why Joy Is Anything But Frivolous
In listening to this podcast and watching this TED talk from designer Ingrid Fetell Lee on the “aesthetics of joy” recently something struck me, beyond just the delight that taking them in sparked in my body:
That the strategies she suggests as universally acknowledged (and proven through research, for the more left-brained among us) to spark joy within us humans are the same things we notice “light up our spirit”, dial up our intuition, and open up our creative channels.
Because these qualities:
Joy
Awe
Wonder
Delight
All reconnect us to four things:
To the present moment.
We can’t notice a moment of joy, awe, wonder, or delight unless our attention is fully present in the moment that’s actually happening.
To our naturally playful essence,
which every human who has ever been born is born innately with.
To other humans.
These qualities, particularly when shared in collective experience with others, remind us that all of us humans walking around the planet have this same essentially joyful, caring nature within us — even though it gets obscured sometimes.
To the flow of energy in all living beings, the Earth, and the universe.
Each of these qualities helps us reconnect to our natural belonging within the rhythms of life and the universe.
So you can come at it from lots of approaches — practicing joyspotting, committing to a Daily Delights practice, consciously dialing up your intuition and creativity — but the result is the same:
By turning our attention intentionally toward these uplifting qualities, we enliven our spirit; are reminded of our pure, loving essence; and remember that we’re connected to all of life.
Which means that these are by no means frivolous or indulgent feelings!
Mindfulness isn't some dry, serious, esoteric practice. Having the ability to direct our attention toward the states and qualities we want to nurture in our lives is incredibly powerful.
And these nourishing states — joy, awe, wonder, delight — connect us to our core loving essence and to one another's truest Selves. What could be more vital than that?
So I hope you enjoy playing with turning your attention (even more) toward these buoying qualities this week.
How many moments of joy, awe, wonder, or delight can you spot today?
With Love (and Joy),