Joy Inside and Out

This is an excerpt from the weekly News-Loveletter. If you would like it sent to your inbox directly (with all the other juicy bits, including a mini joy practice), you can add yourself to my mailing list here.

I built a fire this morning first thing. The picnic table outside my window glittered with ice, and smoke rose through my chimney into the crisp air. As the flicker commenced to blaze, I pulled my meditation pillow over and sat.

Deep in my heart, deep in space, deep in nothing, I connected with joy. I allowed its living energy to fill my body, to nourish every cell. My entire being and even my hands vibrated. This fullness came in waves, softening at times so that even through closed eyelids, the dance of flame beyond me stirred my attention.

Once, I opened my eyes a slit to watch the fire’s glow. It was a pleasure to see, joyful even, but nothing like the fire inside of me when I connected with the divine joy that is mine. It has never struck me in such a measurable way before. The joys and pleasures of the life I touch outside of my body can never rival the stuff I’m made of when I fully tap in and allow it to bloom.

Ah, I thought, this marks the importance of sitting every day, or mindfully connecting in some way — dance, hiking, art — with Source. How do you connect with your deepest, wildest sense of joy? And how do you prioritize making this connection regularly?