The Gift of an Ordinary Day

Dissatisfaction and discontentment seem to be a normal part of the human experience. There's always something around the next corner that we think will bring us happiness, but when it comes -- if it comes at all -- it is usually fleeting. We look forward to the next event that will bring us joy, and the next; always seeking, but never finding.

This pattern may be normal, but it's certainly not healthy.

True happiness comes from within. It's available to us any time we seek it, and we can find it in ordinary moments. When we are awake and aware, a hug becomes more than just a hug; it's a gateway to joy. We can feel the wonder of being alive, appreciate the beauty around us no matter where we find ourselves, and we can see the good in everyone and everything -- including our own souls.

When we believe happiness is something that must be sought externally, we constantly look for entertainment and escape. When we are content with who and where we are, we are still able to grow and change, but we can appreciate the journey as well as the destination.

Nothing could be more beautiful than the gift of an ordinary day.

Enlightenment

Recently, while reading a Facebook post on the subject of enlightenment, I saw the following comment:

"I don't think enlightened people are allowed to be rude."

It caught my attention, because it made me wonder about the different perspectives from which the enlightened are viewed.

To those who have never had an awakening experience, enlightenment is at best an abstract intellectual concept. It would be a little like devoting your life to the study of salt -- where it comes from, what it's used for, and how world salt markets fluctuate -- without ever having tasted it. You have knowledge, but little understanding.

Enlightenment is something that cannot be understood until it's experienced. There is no one path to enlightenment, and each person who attains it is guided to use their unique gifts in different ways.

A truly enlightened person may, in fact, come across as rude -- not from an intent to do harm, but because there is no longer a need to conform to societal norms solely for the purpose of pleasing others or receiving praise and approval.

When we intellectualize rather than spiritualize the concept of enlightenment, we miss the mark. How the unenlightened view enlightenment has no impact on the experience of it.

Portals to Joy

Imagine a bright and sunny morning. You're at a beautiful park. Children are playing, a small stream is trickling in the background, birds are singing and the grass and trees are lush and green. But you don't know where you are, because you're wearing a blindfold, you've got earplugs in, and you're standing in the shade so you can't feel the sun on your face. Even the shoes on your feet are preventing you from feeling the soft grass. Your world is dark, cold, silent and textureless. Reality itself doesn't need to change in order for you to feel joy; you just haven't learned how to remove the blocks that are keeping you from fully experiencing it.

My life changed the day I realized that joy is all around me and inside me. In fact, the wonder is that I am so effectively able to shut it out! When I'm fully present, I can feel joy each time I wiggle my toes and each time I breathe. It's in the air, the earth, and in the eyes of people I meet.

A portal to joy is anything that wakes you up to reality. Here are a few of my favorites:

Love & Connection
This may seem like stating the obvious, but I'm not just talking about romantic love -- I'm talking about loving everyone around you. When your heart is filled with love, it doesn't matter if you are single or married or in between. You can give, you can serve, and you can feel completely joyful while doing even the most mundane tasks.

Creativity
The desire to create is in our DNA. When we let go of judgment and just allow ourselves to surrender to the moment, the simplest act of creation can feel like transcendence. When we create, we act as conduits through which consciousness flows into the physical world.

Struggle
Why would I say that struggle is one of my favorite portals to joy? I dislike suffering as much as the next person; it's uncomfortable, painful, and scary. But it's also very effective, and I would not be who I am without it. Suffering is, in my opinion, one of the most powerful and prevalent awakening influences in this world.

There are so, so many more portals to joy than the ones I've mentioned here! Ultimately, everything is a portal to joy, for joy is our collective and individual destiny.