Aug 10
17
Finding Joy in the Journey
During our lives, we go through many changes. As a child, we grow, go to school and learn many of the important lessons of life, such as gratitude, accepting our differences and how to love one another.
As an adult, we also go through growth, schooling (although not always in a formal setting) and learning to accept others and love them.
I think, sometimes, that it is hardest to love ourselves. We see all the things we wish to change and we often forget to look back and see how far we have come, how much we have learned, how we have grown, and how we find it easier to love people as a result of our growth. It is, it seems, effortless to see the negative side of things instead of looking for the positive. We need to program ourselves to see the positive, even in the negative events in life. We empower ourselves when we give up on the negative and focus on the positive.
In our home, we have an activity for helping to see the positive. When anyone around us, including our family, says something negative about himself or herself, then that person must say three things that are positive about himself or herself. The positive things must not be superficial. An non-acceptable example is “I like the shirt I am wearing.” Instead, it must be a positive trait, or characteristic or action. An appropriate example is “I am a good listener.” There are times when the person has difficulty coming up with three positive things about them. I have, on occasion, helped to lead the person toward discovering or at least vocalizing a positive trait. It is important to see the best in ourselves.
I have taught myself to look at the positive outcomes during negative events in my life. Even in the midst of struggle, I have learned to look at the good, the growth, the change that has come as a part of the process. The most important thing I try to keep in mind is to have joy in the journey.
I watch my little grandson who has struggled with major health problems and even now, struggles to walk. Yet, he is so happy! He doesn’t focus on his limitations. He finds a way to accomplish what he desires in a different way. He crawls from place to place and smiles and laughs and makes our hearts so very light. He brings with him love, acceptance and the joy of the journey.
Life is a school. There is no clear map for us to follow. We must find our own path. By seeing the positive, we are able to be grateful for the growth that we are able to achieve. We learn, we grow, we love, we accept and sometimes we are surprised that “joy cometh in the morning.”
