Don't hesitate - Joy is not meant to be a crumb

Don't hesitate - Mary Oliver

If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy, 
don’t hesitate. Give in to it. There are plenty
of lives and whole towns destroyed
or about to be. We are not wise, and not very often 
kind. And much can never be redeemed. 
Still, life has some possibility left. Perhaps this 
is its way of fighting back, that sometimes
something happens better than all the riches
or power in the world. It could be anything, 
but very likely you notice it in the instant 
when love begins. Anyway, that’s often the 
case. Anyway, whatever it is, don’t be afraid 
of its plenty. Joy is not made to be a crumb.

Thoughts

I love this poem a lot.

I've lived a life of doing the opposite.

Of embracing sadness.

Of grasping onto sadness with both hands

Of being addicted to feeling bad

Of holding onto anxious love

But this poem reminds me to not do that.

To embrace the moments of joy that I feel.

To not hesitate to give into the strange feeling of joy.

Like the poem says, it could be anything.

I get sparks of joy from the strangest things.

A funny house. A breeze. A smile from a stranger. A message from a loved one. A moment of clarity in the storm that is my brain.

It's fleeting, it's hard to grasp, but I try my best.

After all, joy is not made to be a mere crumb, it's made to be a plentiful feast that you share with your loved ones.

ACT thoughts

I've been reading this ACT workbook and one point that it shares is that our brain is hardwired to think in negative patterns.

It keeps us safe.

It's an evolutionary trait that we evolved to keep us safe from predators and other dangers.

Our brains are hard-wired to be afraid of when the good times might end.

So I choose to fight back against my brain.

To embrace joy when I feel it.

Grasp it with both hands.

Don't be afraid of it.

Grasp it with both hands.

Don't let your brain rob you of this moment.

Grasp it with both hands.

Desperately fight for your moments of joy. Tend to your garden of little joys.

Embrace it.

Don't hesitate.

Joy is not made to be a crumb.

Writing brings me joy

Joy - Lily

Joy is a paradox
A mystery I've yet to solve
A question left unanswered

Joy is fleeting
Like a rabbit in the snow
It darts out of my grasp

Joy is warm sunshine
Rays on my skin
Ever so warm

Joy is love
Is passion
Is that burning fire in the soul

Joy is light, yet heavy
Joy is soft, yet sturdy
Joy prevails, but fleeting
Joy is, but sometimes isn't

But I know one thing about joy
That it's 
just 
meant 
to 
be

Painting brings me joy