Participate joyfully in the sorrows of the world.
We cannot cure the world of sorrows,
but we can choose to live in joy.
- Joseph Campbell

How do we live in joy when there's so much sorrow in the world? 

Consider Agatha Christie's perspective: "I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing." 

Being alive is indeed a grand thing. Recognizing this leads to joy. Being grateful for every little thing that gives us comfort and encouragement leads to joy. Being present leads to joy.

But what if we are hurting so much that we don't see life as grand, or even good? In such times, we can reach within for compassion. It's there, beneath the sorrow, next to love. Sometimes we have to stretch our willingness to reach through and beyond the hurts and horrors we see and feel. And stretching is always a choice we can make.

I'm stretching a bit myself now. I fell and broke my ankle. Initially, I was racked, not with sorrow, but with pain and with upset that I'd be limited in many ways for weeks, maybe months. In the big scheme of sufferings, a broken ankle is a small thing. But in all hurts, large and small, there is choice. How do we respond to life?

A recent walk (before my fall) through Storza Woods in Atlanta's Botanical Garden gave me a symbolic perspective on this. This path through the woods, with twists and turns, climbs and drops, reminded me of every life journey. Overhead, streamers of every color rippled above and through the trees like flocks of migrating birds. The overall effect was beautiful. And grand. Like life. 

Let's choose joy.

With love and hope,
Charlene

THE SIXTH GIFT IS JOY.
May it keep your heart open and filled with light.
- from The Twelve Gifts of Birth