JOY

  
How can you increase the joy in your own life? One way is to open to the joy around you. Take moments to slow down and appreciate the beauty in your surroundings. Maybe there's a flower. Or the forearm of a handsome young man. Or the lines in an old woman's face. Take time to appreciate your relationships. Hug your lover. Spend time with friends. Get out of the house or the office and commune with the natural world. Go to places that feed you. Breathe deeply.

To nurture your relationship with yourself, there's a tool I love to share -- the Joy Journal. The concept is a gift from a wonderful artist and teacher named Paulus Berensohn. "There's enough pain and grief in the world, " he told our class. "Do yourself a favor. Save and
savor every bit of Joy. This is what feeds you!"

Start each day by filling a page in your journal with whatever gives you Joy. You might copy a poem. Sketch the fresh daffodils along your driveway. Record the words to a song that moves you or glue in a photo of your newborn niece. Can't think of anything? Problems too big to feel joyful? The Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh suggests an antidote -- start by giving thanks to your eyes. Take five minutes to appreciate the gift of vision. Then your ears. Then your hands. Then the air. A few minutes is all you'll need. Joy is here, all the time, and will answer your invitation.

It's easy to feel joyful in springtime, so start now. Journal your joy. Feed your relationships. Listen to the wisdom of your flesh. Start habits that let you call up a piece of this gorgeous, erotic, love-filled season any time of the year.

-- John Stowe