Always Joy

I have been enjoying my daily meditation challenge.  I decided to enhance my experience and understanding by also reading Deepak Chopra’s Buddha.  I have found the combination very powerful.

I traveled over the weekend, visiting friends, so missed two days.  As I returned to the practice, I had a very moving realization.  I’m not sure why–perhaps the couple days away, perhaps just a fitting message at the right time.  Here’s what I experienced…

There was a visualization of being on a path in nature, being surrounded by natural wonder and beauty.  It brought to life real moments I had experienced almost twenty years ago, spending two months hiking on the Appalachian Trail.  I reconnected not just with the visual images described, but with the emotional and spiritual space I had found while on The Trail.

I found my heart full and happy with my reconnection to this experience so long ago, and tears flowed down my cheeks.

I understood that they were tears of joy.  And, I realized something deeper, with clarity and certainty.  My life is ALWAYS filled with joy!  It is always there.  I may not always feel it, and I may not always take the time to find it.  But, it’s never lacking; it is always with me, surrounding me, lifting and carrying me.

I also realized that there are times when I have denied myself the joy around me, because I worried what others would think of me.  Would they be jealous, would their suffering worsen, would they be mad at me, if I had joy?

These realizations: that joy is always with me, and that I sometimes deny myself joy out of fear–I have felt deeply, and I am still holding and sitting with.

But, I wanted to share them with you, in case you found them useful.

Peace and Love, Ray