Our expressions of joy are more powerful than we realize. Joy is expansive and cannot be contained to a single individual. Expressions of joy are shared whether there is direct or indirect connection with others. Joy is carried out into the world as vibrations of positive energy.
Simple moments have the power to touch our lives, for a day or even a lifetime. One of the most common of these is the joy experienced when coming face to face with someone whose warm and genuine smile lights you up. It can happen at any time, anywhere. When your smile meets theirs, there is a genuine connection that may only last for a fleeting moment but you get to carry it with you into your day.
And how often do you find yourself engaged in brief interludes with people you happen to encounter when out and about? Those passing conversations, while waiting on the grocery checkout line, on the treadmill at the gym, or while walking downtown, are simple moments that may impact our lives and lighten our days.
Catching a Tune: One morning, as I walked from the subway to work, on the streets of NYC, I passed a man who was humming a melody. We were both walking quickly, as people do in New York, in the opposite direction from one another. I knew that tune. It was from Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf. So I picked up the tune and carried it with me as I continued to the office humming the rest of the way. As I walked, I wondered how many people may have been effected by hearing my humming that morning and how many had picked it up as well, touching others with music before beginning their work day. I may have had many mornings of walking from the E Train to 57th and Madison Avenue but that is the only one that has stayed with me through the years. And I still feel a zing of joy when I am reminded of it.
Impact of Laughter: Just recently. I was driving home and stopped at a red light. Suddenly I heard a man laughing. I smiled at the sound. Moments later I heard it again. It was coming from a nearby pickup truck with an open window. I smiled again and this time I smiled the rest of the way home… and i am smiling now at the memory of that experience.
So, how might you be impacting others with your expressions of joy? And how are you impacted by the joy of others? I believe that creating more joy in our lives, even when unseen, has a positive impact on a world that could really use it.
You have the power to spread JOY wherever you go.
You may also be interested in:
Creating JOY: a 30 Day Challenge
JOY Matters: 7 Ways to Create More Joy in Your Life
