Chasing Rainbows and Finding Joy

Have you ever gone out chasing rainbows on a rainy day? Or at the very least, purposely looked for them when driving because the sun is peeking through the rain clouds? If you haven’t; it’s kind of amazing. (Take a camera. Also, don’t wreck.) A rainbow makes my heart happy every time I see one, which is why I look for them everywhere (not just in the sky). I try to do the same sort of thing through the proverbial storms of life too. When times are hard, I seek out the little things that light me up or make me laugh. (Admittedly, being easily amused helps tremendously.) In the words of Oscar Wilde, “When it rains look for rainbows, when it’s dark look for stars.”

Right now, the world is on fire (of the dumpster variety) and I can feel a collective agony screaming in my very bones. (Or maybe it’s just me while reading the news…) It’s hard not to get swept away in the countless tragedies and injustices occurring on a daily basis – to lose your soul in the darkness of despair. Even so, I flat out refuse to dim my light – or stop looking for rainbows! I will not give up my hope, or my joy. And I endeavor to encourage you not to either. The world needs your joy, and it needs your hope. (Please let’s try to laugh, because if we don’t, we’ll cry.)

Did you know that hope is not actually an emotion or feeling…??? Hope is a way of thinking; an intentional practice. And joy is not the same as happiness (which is more tied to luck, circumstances, and privilege). Joy is spiritual and comes from within. It is made up of love, gratitude, hope and faith. You can be joyful, but not necessarily happy all the time. (Let’s be honest… feeling happy all the time is not a realistic expectation anyway.)

This is all a very big deal. Why? Because this means that we are in control of our own hope and joy. Each day, we can choose to make them an integral part of our lives by practicing them with intention. And when we do this, we also help others because both hope and joy are not only contagious, they are powerful too. In this way we can inspire others, as well as enrich our own lives. And frankly, in this tumultuous world, the very act of compounding hope and joy is a form of quiet rebellion. So, let’s get this party started…

You might be thinking that’s all well and good, but are wondering how the hell to actually go about it… Or perhaps you’re speculating if we even have the right to be hopeful and joyful when the world is such a complete and utter mess. To the latter, I say now is when we need it most. And to the former, simply start small.

For me, I find joy in the little things: in the evenings as I read aloud and cuddle with my daughter, when I sip a good cup of coffee and enjoy a small space in time to (finally) relax, when my sun-catcher dances rainbows around my room, or any number of other seemingly insignificant moments. I smile and whisper a soft “thank you” as I welcome each beautiful and ephemeral thing into my life. I actively fill my heart and soul full of gratitude, joy, and love every single day.

I hold on to hope by willfully deciding to think positive, and by catching myself when the negative spirals inevitably try to drown me in a flood of overwhelm. To be clear, I am not suggesting we exercise denial or repression. I am mindful to “feel my feelings,” but I let them pass rather than hold onto them with obsessive thoughts. (That is, usually… It’s called a practice for a reason…) As humans, we are programed to give more weight to all of the negative experiences, but we can also be aware of this and over time, rewire our brains. I’m not sure if we can fully bulldoze evolution, but we can start by thinking about all the things that could go right instead of disastrously wrong…

Of course, I concede that staying this course will not necessarily always be easy. Some days might be more of a struggle. But I assure you, it’s worth it. And when we start truly focusing on hope and joy, it can be life changing. Not only for us, but in a ripple effect around this broken world.

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“Nolite te Bastardes Carborundorum” ~ Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale

🙂