Dear Joy

Today I served dinner late again…

Once again instead of cooking for my family I was creating space for joy. In a Mother’s world of busy; day to day, working, cooking, school runs, tidying, hoovering, the endless laundry. The chasing of chores, reminders of homework and ‘have you packed your trainers for PE tomorrow’ and ‘can you please put your wrappers in the bin’ and ‘move your socks from the middle of the floor’ and ‘can you please give your eyes a rest from those screens’, and my particular favourite ‘who hasn’t flushed, AGAIN?’… joy can be hard to come by.

So whilst I could’ve watched a recording now, once the kids are fed and in bed (when instead I am writing about the experience of attending the live class) instead, I joined a group of brave, beautiful souls to set an intention to welcome joy, and afterwards I grilled burgers, toasted buns and prepared salad which I served to my family with a heart full of joy rather than crushing resentment. I enjoyed the expressions of delight from the kids as they received their plates (a nice change from the scowls and ‘what’s this’, that accompanies anything remotely wholesome that I attempt to feed them!) and instead of sulking that they did not say ‘thank you’ with words, I savoured the textures and flavours of the meal in a way that seems twee to write of at length, so I won’t!

I’ve been interested in joining Now Now school for as long as I have known about it but as I’ve mentioned, time is in short supply round here and other projects have been prioritised. Whilst I haven’t managed to magic more hours into my day and the to-do list grows ever longer, a couple of weeks ago I decided to take the plunge and prioritise joy. Since the world is now on fire even more than ever, I’m sure glad that’s were I chose to invest!

In today’s class (the first of this course: Joy Boat), led by the wonderful Rachel Larsen-Weaver we were invited to create our own descriptions of joy, that we may better notice in our lives and use it to cultivate power from within. We wrote letters of invitation to joy and a brave few shared their words with the rest of the class. It was a moving and humbling experience to be welcomed so wholeheartedly into a space of such vulnerability and growth.

I think I’m going to enjoy my ride on the Joy Boat!

Dear Joy,

I’ve enjoyed your little visits. I’d like to offer you an open invitation. I know you can’t always be around; that there will be times when you must be elsewhere. I also know that there are times when there appears not to be space in my life for you, amongst everything else. But know that I will always make time and space for you if I sense you hovering. I will do my best to keep my eye and ears, nose and arms and most of all my heart open to your presence. Knowing that your absence is never permanent, that for you to return all I need do is to open myself up and allow you to fill and expand me from within. I promise not to clutch and grasp, crowd, restrict or try to possess you. Only to create the space for you to fill…Notice…. Expand…Appreciate…. Expand further and to allow you to flow through me and into those around me, and to those around them.

Joy, I feel that you are so closely bound with hope. But hope is one to which we must cling. I think that with your help, in moving forward with more joy in our lives and our communities, we can create a world where hope is also allowed to flow freely, like a joy boat on a river, instead of being clung to in desperation like ring around a person lost at sea.

I look forward to your next visit Joy. I will make time for you. It’s my pleasure.

                      Love,

                                         Emma

                                                                    xXx