Practicing Joy Is Like a Box of Chocolates
Two boxes, actually.
Joy came to me in two boxes of chocolate the other day. The boxes weren’t a direct gift for me, I didn’t buy them, and I didn’t eat a single bite of candy.
The chocolate had nothing to do with me. Nonetheless, it offered me pure joy.
I used to view my overall life satisfaction as something I could achieve only under specific and external circumstances. But over the years, I’ve learned that I can cultivate it by consistently practicing joy. Mindfully noticing reasons to be joyful is the key to the practice.
In Pali and Sanskrit, mudita means joy. It’s one of the Four Immeasurable Minds of Buddhism. I understand it to be a feeling everyone has access to at any time — it’s the vicarious joy people feel when they see others experiencing well-being.
Mudita is one of my favorite words. I find it to be such an inspiring and optimistic concept. The idea that I can be at the lowest depths of my suffering and still have access to joy is something I hold dear. To me, it’s empathy at its most delightful.
Taking time to notice when I feel vicarious joy has become one of my practices. It is easily observable in nature and among our fellow humans if I take the time to see it. Once I tap into that space, my whole day gets…
