Keep it Real Wednesday
October 30, 2019
Joy or happiness?
On Saturday, Rosemary and I had the pleasure of meeting Jean and her Mom Angie for tea and pastries. The Blessing Bike had brought us together this past summer and this was the second time Rosemary and Angie had met each other. I watched the two of them and marveled at how they talked to each other as if they had known each other their entire lives. They both shared a common history of being from Cleveland, widowed and a love for the Cleveland Browns but it was more than that. There was something else special.
At one-point Rosemary asked Angie “How much do you weigh?” I had to surpress my laughter at the bold request and Angie just giggled. A man in his 60’s then walked into the pastry shop very short shorts (and it was 40 degrees in Boise) and they both gawked at his legs and even said “Hey, take a look at those long naked legs, and they are hairy too”. Jean and I could have slid under the table by our mothers abnormally loud remarks as they pointed at his legs and giggled, but instead we just enjoyed the carefree moments between these two ladies.
When we got back home, I reflected on Rosemary and Angie and contemplated what made them so unique? What made the connection between them so special?
I found my answer to my question. It was JOY.
It is JOY that makes these two so happy. Joy comes from within, it comes from making peace with who you are and where you are holding space currently in your life. Happiness can be situational and allows the outside world to trigger our emotions. None of that situational stuff for these ladies…
Maybe there was a time when they didn’t carry joy within themselves, but I don’t think so. I think these two ladies have seen their share of pain, suffering and have endured many situations which could have robbed them of their happiness.
Instead, they choose Joy and continue to choose Joy. When two people with JOY come together, it is amplified, and we all feel it – including everyone in the pastry shop that day. Even the guy with the naked and hairy legs.
We can all learn a thing or two from Rosemary and Angie.
Choose joy.
