The Powerful Brightness of Joy
On the darkest of nights, when cloud cover masks the sky’s countless constellations, a patient star-gazer will still find light. A brief hole in the sky as the clouds shift, allow the celestial bodies to show through. Joy is this way too, coming into view even in the bleakest of times.
This is not to say that joy replaces sadness or struggle nor that it’s realistic to expect a constant state of elation in life. Rather, our minds are capable of a duality which allows for both dark and light emotions to exist alongside one another. If we can infuse even the smallest amount of lightness or levity into a time of difficulty, we can steady ourselves for the journey required to pass through dark times.
I recall a time in my life when I was facing a hefty problem. Of the many calls of support I received, one stood out as especially uplifting. A friend who had experience with a similar situation rang me to talk about it in practical terms. After some time of sharing advice, he made a joke about what I was dealing with. I paused for a moment and then let loose an uproarious laugh.
When I finally stopped laughing, he said, “Oh, good. I wasn’t sure you were ready for humor but I am glad I tried.”
He had the courage to momentarily move the clouds out of my dark night, showing me a spark in the sky. That was a powerful…
