A New Perspective: Catching Joy in the Moments

Joy is the happiness that does not depend on what happens.

It is the grateful response to the opportunity that life offers you at this moment.

David Steindl-Rast

I look up from my reading when I encounter this quote. But, I say to myself, upheaval and chaos are happening; fear and sadness and displaced hopes and dreams are happening; natural and human-caused disasters are happening. And still I wait for the joy to surface. Reverse-a-quake (a word from long ago that I’d tell my kids when we needed to shake up our thinking) now needed!  What? I’m in charge of my own joy?

As chance would have it, I’m now reading “The Book of Joy”, a compilation of interviews with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, organized and co-authored by writer and editor, Douglas Abrams. Perfect timing! There I found both authors’ stated belief that a healthy, positive perspective is “the foundation of joy and happiness because the way we see the world is the way we experience the world.” Its wisdom reminds me that it’s my job to nurture joy and create my own kinder, healthier mindset.

One dreary, sunless, arctic February day I decided to discover if turning up the corners of my mouth into a smile, and meaning it, could positively reset my perspective into a moment-to-moment view. I put my experiment in motion, keeping these questions in mind:

Do I smile because I’m encountering joy, or am I noticing joy because I smiled?

Or Both?

This is not a fake it till you make it exercise. Nor will I be smiling because I condone or accept the chaotic happenings around us all. Instead, behind this activity is the authentic energy of hope for change and connection. The researched act of smiling has the science of unleashing neuropeptides, serotonin, dopamine and endorphins supporting it. Smiling = a brain jump-start into more joy? I’m in.

Almost through my third week of intentionally smiling wherever I am, I’ve a list of discoveries and stories about myself and others. Though time and space prevents me sharing it all here, two major thoughts jump to the front:

1) The answer to my earlier questions is yes – smiling made it all happen.

2) I can actually notice feeling a different energy within and around me as I authentically smile for the purpose of bringing joy to another – there is hope and humanity in that simple action.

A genuine smile becomes a joyful moment of connection, reminding us we aren’t alone, no matter the happenings around us. We become people sharing a moment of humanity as we go on our way.

I hope you’ll try it. And, I hope you’ll share some of your stories with me.

Wishing you all the grace of a peaceful heart,

Jane

“With our mind we create our own world.”

Buddha