In addition to being very intentional about experiencing joy at every opportunity, I have been working on making friends with money.  This may sound silly, but financial stress can be a serious downer and I know when I’m worried about money I’m not as likely to see or feel joy.

It seems that money is like one of those super popular kids in school–so cool and mysterious and utterly uninterested in hanging out with me.  And what I’ve been learning is that, just like the popular kids, money is just money.  If money was a person (popular or not), it would have bad hair days, get a pimple now and again, burp and fart and even have moments of insecurity and low self-esteem.

Money is just money; in and of itself it’s nothing more than paper, or even a mere idea imprinted on paper. AND, it’s a wonderful tool.  Not too dissimilar to a good hair gel or a facial astringent, money can help us get to the good stuff. 

In a fabulous book by Esther and Jerry Hicks, there’s an exercise I’m having some fun with. Every day (or almost every day) I write myself a check from The Universe in increasingly larger amounts.  Starting at $1,000, then $2,000 the next day, then $3,000 the day after that, and so on. And every day I spend every penny of it.  Just like real money, this is all on paper.  I cut out the check of the day, put it in the Bank of Abundance (which is a glass jar on my desk with a sticky note on it that says Bank of Abundance), then I log in the register all the things I’m able to bring into my life with that money, ie: take the family to Disneyland, pay off a credit card, replace the back deck, take my friends out to a champagne brunch, etc.

So far, I’ve deposited $45,000 in 9 days and I’m already seeing a shift in how I think, feel and experience money.  A few items have already made their way into my hands and I’m pretty excited about that.  I feel like I’m on the verge of discovering the secret to the Rubik’s Cube or a cure for the common cold or a way to eat chocolate every single day without gaining an ounce.

Wanna try?  Print out ISpyJoy.com’s Checks from Universe and give it a whirl. 

See you at Disneyland…

Starting over after the fire

The canyon behind my friend Ginita’s house in San Diego burned in the last round of fires there.  As we walked her dog along the trail/fire road and saw a sea of blackened brush the contrast with the new growth was more than beautiful; it was inspiring.

Amidst the charred wood a tall, dried white grass and cheerfully yellow flowers grow.  For a visual person like myself, the stark distinction is breathtaking.  And then, as air refilled my lungs, I was struck by the wonderful and unalterable way nature has of beginning again.  Every death has within it the promise of new life.

I don’t know what this canyon looked like before the fire.  Somehow I believe it couldn’t have been as striking untouched as it is now, having gone through this bit of adversity.  There are people I know with this same deep beauty; exuding a complex magnificence that only reveals itself after walking through the fire and being nourished by the ash.

When we really love something, we love it in many ways.  We love people not just for the pleasure of being around them, but also for the many different windows they open for us to peer through, for being able to see life–and ourselves–through their eyes.

Walking on the beach I look out at the ocean and see a vast universe, an incredible power, a weightless world of possibility.  Then I see this surfer, sitting, watching, thinking very different thoughts than I. 

I imagine him looking at the ocean with the admiration of a lover, trying to better understand the nature of her waves and why they move the way they do.  He is peering through a different window than I am, and I love being a witness to that.  His joy and appreciation doubles my own.  And that is one of the many wonders of being human.

Ahhhh...

Mom and I arrived in San Diego yesterday for a girl’s weekend with long-time friend and mom’s ex-business partner Ginita.  After a leisurely lunch of chicken Caesar salad and chardonnay, we headed for the beach.

The ocean breeze ran through our hair, the fresh salt air filled our lungs, and the fine sand kissed our toes with every step.  There are few things as pleasing to feet as walking barefoot on a sandy beach. 

Add to that popping the washed-up kelp bubbles like a child jumping on plastic bubble-wrap and I felt as though I was 4, rather than 40.  A fabulous day, indeed.

Cat Wisdom

I had the day off today, and because I wasn’t yet awake enough to make the 150-foot (ish) trek to the mailbox to get today’s paper, I sat down with my mocha and read yesterday’s.  After some very selective reading, I moved quickly to what may very well be the most enlightened section of the paper: the comics.

I so enjoyed the Mutts strip that I had to cut it out.  I think I’ll laminate it and tape it to my computer at work.  You know, as a reminder for when I find myself leaning toward a complaint.  Life really is all good. If we let it be.  There is a wonderful zen saying that no thing is good or bad in and of itself – it’s only our perception of it that makes it so.

A little purrrrrring goes a long way.

Sue's Pink Poppies

My friend Sue is a Master Gardener, and the large patches of earth circling her home near Banks, Oregon, reflect that. Every time I visit her we take a leisurely turn around the garden.  She points out new starts and interesting things she’s learned; pruning a little here, pulling a weed there.  I ask about this or that and just generally gawk at the beauty she’s created.

This Sunday I saw for the very first time a pink poppy.  I didn’t even know they existed. I am not a Master Gardener, as you may have guessed.  I am, however, a bit of a photographer; so I immediately had to take a photo of this anomaly. I delighted for several minutes in this new find.  Not only did I learn something new (which I love to do) while reveling in the splendor of Sue’s garden; but I also opened another window of possibility in my mind.

If such a lovely thing as pink poppies exists without my knowledge, imagine what other wonders are commonplace for someone else that I am completely unaware of.  What other bits of deliciousness are just laying about waiting to be stumbled upon? The possibilities are endless, really. And that is one of the great and marvelous things about this world. At every moment we have the possibility of discovering new sources of beauty and joy, unfolding worlds before us like a napkin on a lap.

There are three things my father told me with such emphasis and frequency that I hear them repeated in my head over and over: 1) A good photographer uses a tripod (still haven’t nailed that one), 2) Write it down (in progress), and 3) Enjoy the journey.

I do believe I’m beginning to figure that last one out.

Protecting the nest and her chicks. Photo: SOLENT

If you’ve ever read Viktor Frankl’s book, Man’s Search for Meaning, you know that what kept him going through years of concentration camp imprisonment was a sense of purpose.

Feeling as though there is some reason for our being allows us to overcome challenges that might otherwise seem insurmountable.  It also, when acted upon, brings us an incredible sense of joy.

Kathi Lewis of Hollis, New Hampshire, believes every newborn deserves a warm welcome. That’s why she collects and distributes used baby clothing, gently worn garments she provides to area social workers who pass them on to their clients, new moms with limited resources.

“It’s how I worship,” she said. “This is why I was put on Earth, and this is how I give back.”   Read more about Kathi’s sense of purpose.

People aren’t the only beings who thrive when they feel there’s some greater meaning to their lives.  Many animals have done amazing things out of a sense of purpose.

The photo in this post was captured by amateur wildlife photographer Dennis Bright at a house in Fareham, Hampshire. The female thrush’s body is semi-submerged in the water of a gutter as she holds back the flow, protecting the nest and her chicks. Her mate took over feeding the mother bird and their chicks in the interim.  Read more of this story.

One of my favorite things about joy is that it spreads. From woman on a mission to social worker to mother to child. From mother bird to father bird to baby chicks. From me to you and you to me.  And around and around it goes.

Wahoo!

I got a few emails after this last ezine with links to some great websites focused on joy, happiness and good news.  Thank you for spreading joy!

Joyce Arbeene sent in a link to a wonderful story about a couple celebrating their 81st wedding anniversary. Frank Milford, 101, and his wife, Anita, 100, were married on May 26, 1928. They are currently the longest-married couple in the United Kingdom.  The story was written up in the Daily Mail and posted on a wonderful website, Good News Now.  Do yourself a favor and bookmark Good News Now so you can check it every few days for a boost of real news that’s positive and affirming.  Thanks for sharing, Joyce!

For anyone living in the Portland, Oregon area, Delaram sent in a link to a fabulous summer camp for kids: Spiritual Virtues Summer Camp.  The Bahá’í Community of Beaverton and New Thought Center for Spiritual Living (NTCSL) are joyful co-sponsors of a Spiritual Virtues Summer Camp for children ages 4 – 12.  Take a look at what they’re doing.  Thanks, Delaram!

And Carol McKeag(aka my mom) has been forwarding me some ezines from Unleash Gratitude.  I believe we often find what we’re looking for, and if you look for things to be grateful for, you’ll find life is full of joy and wonder.  Thanks, mom!

Joy lives!  Go find it.

Photo from 9 News, Denver, CO

I’ve heard of Christmas in July many times, but this is the first I’ve heard of Christmas year-round.

Channel 9 News in Denver, Colorado ran a wonderful story about a family that brings joy to their mother all year long by arranging and rearranging Christmas lights on the balcony of her retirement home. This tradition began after Angie Loomis lost her husband of 58 years.

“That is really what we are about, we are just trying to take a dark evening and make it light. The nights can be lonely for her,” her son-in-law, Dan Augenstein, said.

This thoughtful and personal gesture brings joy not only to Mrs. Loomis, but also to many in the community who have come to appreciate and anticipate the changing display of love.

Joy lives!

At 3:00 in the afternoon today I had plenty to do.  It’s Memorial Day, the last day of a 3-day weekend and I still had laundry to do, kids to bathe, lizard food to buy, dinner to eat, dogs to feed, birthday invitations to create…

But today was a stellar day: 70-something degrees and sunny with a slight breeze. The kind of day that makes you want to do everything outside.  So when my friend Olga offered me a cocktail on her fabulous front porch, I quickly dismissed all the chores that had yet to be done.

We sat in the wooden rockers, looking out at the neighborhood, sipping our lemon drops and chit-chatting about this and that.  An hour went lazily by and I licked every last drop of sugar off the rim of my glass, enjoying the company of a friend on a soon-to-be summer’s day.