Failure to take pleasure in the good things in life dishonors the gifts or accomplishments that deserve appreciation. It also dishonors your desire to know joy.
Recently I spent a week out on an island camping with family and friends. I was far away from so many of the distractions that too often receive all my waking attention. There was no electricity, no cell service, no wireless internet, no cars – nothing that needed to be plugged in. In its place was a beautiful lake, the sound of laughter, hillsides crammed with evergreens, a chair, a book and some paper. Oh … and sunshine – the much loved friend of a northwest summer.
On one particularly glorious afternoon my beloved and I sat at the edge of the lake, toes submerged, reading. I looked up from my book and said to him “give me 5”, at which point without hesitation he said, “the cool pattern of rocks that line the water’s edge, the log that is perfectly placed for the kids to play, this cold summer ale (as he takes a drink), time to reflect and having you by my side.”
While appreciating life on vacation seems a bit like a no-brainer, keeping this practice afloat in hectic stressful everyday life takes discipline and determination. So what’s the value of pulling our eyes off our ‘to do list’ to stop and “take 5”? More joy. Contentment and happiness are experienced and expanded only as we take time to soak in our joy and appreciation. When we stop and bring into focus what we love, a wave of gratefulness washes over us. We feel happy, cared for, hopeful. Happiness and joy spring from a well of appreciation.
The irony for so many is that if we followed our thoughts through the day we would see how often our thoughts center on discontentment and discouragement. How rushed we are, how much must get done, how exhausted we are, how unhelpful others are, how overwhelmed we are, how little time there is, how we and others constantly fall short. The particular journey of our thoughts have a direct effect on how much contentment or discontentment we feel.
Try this experiment. Set the alarm on your phone to go off at a point each day – say 3pm. Take 1 minute each time you hear the alarm to notice where your thoughts have just been. Are they leaving you feeling hopeful, grateful, happy or something less pleasant? Take 3 minutes to “take 5”. Recount five things right then that you are grateful for, appreciative of, happy about. Take a deep breath and let yourself really feel it.
Drink in the joy in your life today … this day … each day.
Good one!! I am going to try this….