When Joy shows up, welcome her with open arms. She’s a fickle friend, coming and going without warning, rarely giving any advanced notice. Joy does not announce her arrival with a grand entrance; she doesn’t call ahead, leave a message on your answering service, or even send a text that she’s on her way.
Sometimes, she just appears, perhaps as a blue orchid left unexpectedly on the counter. She waves at you through a picture received via text that sparks your smile, or you hear her in a cool evening breeze rustling through the leaves of a Cottonwood tree.
Joy is elusive, unpredictable, and fleeting, but she is a friend worth expecting, welcoming, and embracing.
In this ever-busy, often chaotic world, it’s easy to get caught up in the grind of daily life and forget to notice when Joy visits. I know I get so preoccupied with my responsibilities, deadlines, appointments and the next big “thing” that I overlook the small, quiet moments of joy that sneak in unannounced.
Yet, these moments are precious gifts—tiny, sparkling jewels hidden in the folds of our everyday lives.
Do you recognize her when she arrives, welcome her with open arms and invite her in for as long as she can stay? Are you living with an open heart, ready to welcome her whenever she decides to drop by or have you given up on Joy and closed the door to her eventual visit?
She doesn’t linger you know. Joy is like a butterfly, fluttering in and out of our lives, pausing just long enough for us to catch a glimpse of her smile and the sparkle in her eyes. They are contagious you know?
Learning to accept Joy’s fleeting nature and cherish her visits, no matter how brief can be a challenge. Faith is the cornerstone for that knowingness you hold deep within, the one that tells you Joy will return even when the window shades to your heart and soul have been pulled down.
When you try to hold onto Joy too tightly, she slips away, much like sand through your fingers. But when you welcome her with open arms, without expectations or demands, you create a space for her to linger a little longer.
Joy thrives in openness and acceptance.
This past year, I’ve learned that welcoming Joy is less about searching for her and more about being present to experience her when she arrives. Life can be challenging in the best of times, but when life becomes a super challenge, Joy has the power to shift me out of the chaos and into the beauty that is everywhere in my world, even if it is a fleeting moment like the sweet nectar of a summer peach as the juice dribbles down my chin.
Has Joy visited you this week? Did you catch her in the sunlight dancing on the kitchen floor or in the laughter of a friend that echoed long after your conversation ended? When we open ourselves to these sacred moments, we invite Joy to become a more frequent visitor.
Living in joy is a practice, a choice I consciously make every day. It means choosing to see the good, even when things are really tough. It means finding light in the darkest places and holding onto hope when it feels like it’s slipping away.
Welcoming Joy is about understanding that she is not a constant staple but a visitor who brings me a series of moments that I can string together to create a life that feels better than when I let life bury me in its rubble.
Joy is not about perfection or having it all together. It is about finding peace in the midst of the mess, laughter in the eventual mistakes, and always offering up gratitude for the ordinary, making it all sacred with that intent. I am grateful!
I know there will be times when Joy is elusive, when she seems to have vanished altogether. In those moments, it’s important for me to remember that she is never truly gone. She’s simply waiting for the right moment to return, often in ways I least expect.
Perhaps she’ll show up today in the form of a kind word from a stranger, a burst of sacred creativity, or in a moment of stillness in the midst of yet another hectic day.
The Challenge?
- Stay open and receptive, trust, and lean on your faith. You make it easier for Joy to find her way back to you when you live every day ready to welcome her with open arms.
- Be grateful for every visit, no matter how brief. Let her presence widen your smile, brighten the light in your eyes and remind you that beauty and wonder still abound in the world around you.
- Embrace Joy as she comes and goes and live in the open wonderment of that knowing that as hard as it gets, as impossible as it all seems, Joy will return.
Give yourself permission to live without waiting and cultivate your life hope-filled, faith led, richly vibrant, and filled with moments that take your breath away as you welcome every visit from Joy with gratitude and recognize that her presence, however fleeting, enriches your soul.
Remember, Joy is contagious. Breathe her in deeply. Allow her beauty to fill your spirit and share her light in every corner of your life.
Standing open armed in anticipation of her next visit.
*** It is not too late to join us for a Fall Equinox weekend – We have had to make some changes to our live event. In going with the flow of life’s ever-changing winds, Beth will be zooming in for the shamanic wisdom teachings she is bringing to this fabulous group and in honoring her choice to be with us no matter what, we are reducing the fee for this new hybrid experience.
We will still gather in person, in sacred circle at the beautiful sanctuary in Diamond Springs. Face to face, hand to hand, heart to heart with the blessings of modern technology that allow us to fulfill our promise to you to deliver an amazing experience and these powerful teachings.
Please enjoy my Free PDF –
6 Ways Your Life Can Change When You Adopt an Optimistic Attitude
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Vicki Dobbs is a bold and adventurous warrior walking a path of heart to manifest spirituality in everyday lives. She opens existential gateways for individuals to face their challenges and embrace these tests as the great teachers that they are.
Her goal is to see everyone walk in beauty and balance every day of their lives empowered by the voice of their own authentic truth.
Through Wisdom Evolution and Sacred Wisdom Workshops, Vicki creates opportunities for others to make deep personal changes through experiential classes, ceremony, sacred art and story. She endeavors to inspire others to create their lives intentionally. Vicki is an Inspirator of everyday awareness, an Instigator of spontaneous stories and a Connoisseur of Creativity. Gratitude and grace sprinkled with humility and humor are the medicine she brings to the world.
As an Elder, Teacher and Entrepreneur, Spiritual Coach, Ordained Minister and Crafter of Sacred Art and Tools, Vicki perceives life’s journey as an ever-upward spiraling ascension of the human spirit leading her to wisdom, wholeness and authenticity.
Her experience includes being trained in the Harner Method of Shamanic Counseling and the Pachakuti Mesa Tradition of Cross Cultural Shamanism. She is a Graduate Teacher and Mentor with the Lynn Andrews Center For Sacred Arts and Training and has been the Administrator and Writers Guide for Writing Spirit, the School.
Vicki is also an Artist of the Spirit Certified Spiritual and Energetic Life Coach, a Graduate Mentor in the AoS program and a founding member of HeatherAsh Amara’s Warrior Goddess Leadership Team and Facilitator of the Warrior Heart Practice.
Connect with Vicki here on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vickildobbsauthor
