Leaning In To Joy

Hi,

Friend.

Thanks for joining me today.

This is a simple meditation to welcome in and lean into joy.

So get comfortable and close your eyes.

The sun rose and there was joy.

It was soft and gentle and unfurrowed the new buds on the tips of every tree.

In the warmth that spread over the country,

Through the fields and the forests and into the cities,

There was joy.

Joy came like a song that couldn't quite be heard but turned into a chorus as it gained strength.

In the voice that echoed across the snow-topped mountains,

There was joy.

Joy crept and danced along the back alleys,

Along city streets and out amongst trees.

Joy ran and leapt with wild animals and became more courageous.

It gained speed and will.

Joy laughed with the children who had never been told to forget it.

Children who didn't know that joy could be buried.

And then joy found you.

It found you slowly and carefully.

Joy didn't want to startle you as you weren't used to it and may not recognize it.

Joy asked you if you were ready for it.

You thought for a moment because you just weren't sure.

And then,

Without fanfare,

Without announcement,

Without telling anyone or any preparation,

You let joy in.

It started with your toes warming them,

Making them remember what it was like to bury themselves in the sand as you played on the shore as a child.

It filled your feet and steadied them,

Making you want to run and leap through the air,

Made lighter and more flexible.

Joy reminded you that it did not have to be fleeting,

That it also could be grounded and woven into the light that surrounded you.

Joy did not have to leave quickly or even entirely.

Joy began to move up your legs,

Still cautious as it had not encompassed you this much for a while now,

And wanted to slowly remind you what it felt like so you would learn to trust its presence.

Do you remember what this feels like?

Joy asked as it wound its way up your shins and tickled behind your knees.

Joy continued to move up your body,

Pooling itself where it was needed.

In all of the spots that had been neglected,

That had been hidden away and that had been dark for so long,

It found those spots that had been lost to heartache,

To uncertainty and doubt,

And let them be filled with light.

Joy paused at your heart,

For it could see its own reflection there.

That is where Joy came to be remembered.

And so Joy stayed at your heart for a while,

Weaving thin threads of light through all the small fissures and cracks that time had caused.

When it felt sure that your heart was now both stronger and lighter,

Joy moved on through your body.

It moved to your throat where it coated your words in honey.

It gently unfurrowed the bonds that had kept so many of your beautiful words in.

Joy encouraged the fragile truth to spill forth from your mouth and asked you not to withhold the wisdom of your language.

Then Joy moved on.

It wound the brightest thread around everything that you had not wanted to look at.

And instead of resisting,

Instead of fearing what you would feel when Joy left,

You just leaned in.

You leaned into Joy knowing that even in the darkest of moments you would still be able to find a thread of it and that that could support you.

You leaned in and leaned away from fear and uncertainty.

You felt Joy bubble up through you like an underground spring that,

Once finding the surface,

Had to be free.

You let Joy in.

You leaned into it.

You let it live inside of you.

You let it turn the corners of your mouth up,

Widen your eyes and flush your cheeks.

Joy planted a garden within you.

It leapt and danced around your rough edges and the dusty corners of yourself.

It made itself at home and brought light to all the cobwebby parts of you that had not seen Joy in some time.

Joy turned on the light and swirled through your veins.

You jumped to your feet so inspired by the rhythm,

Both very old and very new,

That Joy had created in your body.

You went out into the street,

Into the city,

Into the forest or the desert,

But most importantly,

You went out because Joy had filled you so full there was no longer any room for you inside.

It escaped from around the corners of your eyes,

Colouring everything around you.

Brighter and more beautiful,

You were enthralled with the world,

The same world that there was yesterday,

But new somehow,

As if Joy was colour that lived just outside of the spectrum you could regularly see.

Joy flew from your fingertips and wove its way around the branches of trees,

Furrowing the brand new buds.

Joy leapt and danced within you.

It fell from your mouth in the most beautiful compliments and you just leaned in.

You felt Joy flowing like a river that knows its path before it can ever see its destination.

It fell from your fingertips and was taken by the wind,

Caught and twirled like a dandelion seed on a gentle breeze.

Joy undulated in the invisible current to find others that had need of it.

You could see it go and yet did not feel sad for Joy had planted a garden inside of you and it was almost time for harvest.

Thank you so much for joining me today.

Open your eyes and gently rejoin the world,

Feeling lighter and more filled with Joy.

Thank you.

You