I had a text to send before catching the bus, so I sat down in the shelter and sent it. As I put my phone away, there at my feet was a large cicada. I don’t know how I missed stepping on him! I scooped him up on my bus pass and carried him to the safety of some bushes, pausing long enough to admire his gossamer wings and green and black mottled body. Of course I told him how beautiful he is and to thank him. Thank him for a moment of joy.
Nature has a way of giving me joy when I least expect it. A chickadee alights next to me while eating lunch. A dragonfly flits by. A brightly coloured leaf floats down at my feet. I come across an old apple tree heavy with fruit. I glance out the window and see a red sun sink into the horizon. All these momentary things add up to daily joy.
It saddened my heart to hear someone say nature is icky. Yes, it can be. But don’t let that rule your heart. It is also unspeakably beautiful, extraordinary, amazing. You choose how you see life, negative or positive. Guess which one brings joy? The more you appreciate beauty, the more you will notice and experience.
It is okay to be a Pollyana. Don’t let naysayers tell you that being negative is being realistic. The two points of view are realism. Negativity just seems more real because it evokes a strong emotional reaction, a survival response. Joy will bring you peace, and the more you focus on finding joy, the more peace you will have, and then you will have peace when you are in a crisis. Joy makes you strong.
Choose joy. Be grateful. Keep those things in your heart.
Next week I am going to write about some more truths about negativity. Negativity is ugly.
Some photographs to bring you joy at Amazon.com