It's 4 a.m. and I'm shedding old skins

I'm listening to the rain. Constant. Steady. I doubt that the sun will come out today. I'm warm, dry, secure in my little nest of a house, a temporary abode, I'm sure. I'm surrounded by my paintings and amazed I can fit so many on the walls of a 500 sq. foot home. You see, I've downsized, as many of us have, but it feels right. I'm shedding old skins and making ready for the new.

The new. With the state of the world one wonders, what will the world be like now? Earthquakes, deaths, radiation in drinking water. What will the news bring today?

A radio interviewer said I was a "happyolist". You see, Happiness Awaits You! was my idea. Since the book came out, I've wondered, am I supposed to "be happy" all of the time? Is that possible? And if so is it authentic?

Recently I met a woman who is known for her creativity. She has a unique style, numerous books published and gives workshops across the nation. I was a volunteer her workshop and was amazed at what I was perceiving. She was jovial, upbeat, unique, just like her books. But as I gazed at her, I wondered, is this a well polished act? Is she authentically happy? Sadly, she seemed a facade and merely carrying on the one woman show she had manufactured and portrayed for years on end.

I knew that what I was seeing was not for me. I knew I needed more: I needed to be genuine in my joy. To do this I needed to be honest with myself and my emotions. To cry when I felt it, to feel the pain of others if need be, and my own pain, too. I knew I needed to be in the moment and experience whatever hand life dealt me.

I also knew that I had a choice in the matter. I could express my emotions and move on, or I could wallow in them. I could have a pity party, or I could decide, enough tears, it's time to move on. I could look at a sunflower, and its deep brown-ebony center and wonder of the mysteries of life, and I could absorb the yellow-gold color of shear delight into my being and radiate the joy that delicious color felt like to me.

Rain, sunshine, no matter. My joy is eternal in this moment. It is all I have, authentically, right now.

Radiating Authentic Joy,
Maggie

"Field of Sunflowers"
detail
acrylic on canvas
by Maggie TerryViale

Moon Dancing

I watched the full moon glide across the evening sky. It danced slowly from left to right before it hid behind the trees at dawn. The glowing orb had disappeared from view, but it's still there. I know it is.

Maybe that's what Joy is like. It's always there but sometimes it hides from our awareness just waiting for the right time to reappear.

With the moon, I would not have seen it if I did not open the blinds of my bedroom window before I went to sleep. Then as if my magic, it appeared from the clouds around midnight. It had rings of luminous haze surrounding it, magnifying it's glow.

So too with joy, maybe to feel it's magnificence, we only need to open the blinds of our eyes and look in the right direction. Yes, look in the right direction because even if it's right in front of us we won't see it if we're looking at the shadows of our life. And sometimes when we least expect it, just like magic, it appears.

But, like the moon, Joy is always there.

Today is the first day of the rest of my life, and I don't know about you, but I'm setting my sights for the moon. As they say, shoot for the moon, even if you miss, you might land in the stars.

Happy Journeys!
Maggie
http://www.happinessawaitsyou.info/

The Path to Happiness or Where is my Box of Kleenex?

Dear Beautiful Person, and beautiful you are!

I'm just a regular person, just like you. There is no Ph.D. in psychology after my name.  I hurt, I love, I feel, I'm learning to evolve into a better human being. Some of you will resonate with what I say, others will not. I write to express myself and to share with an open heart.

These are my thoughts, my emotions, my passions, my visions along my path of discovery. Part of that discovery is learning what brings me joy. Perhaps you'll want to tag along on this journey, leave a comment or two, share with others your feelings, and if it strikes you, pass along this blog to others who might benefit from it.

A thought today: Maybe the path to Joy is paved with tears. Tears of sorrows, tears of goodbye, tears of discovery, tears of learning, tears of appreciation for the beauty that surrounds us, and most of all, tears of happy, uncontrollable, almost pee my pants, laughter. Let there be more Laughter!

Be brave, show your emotions and carry Kleenex with you always!

With Love,
 Maggie

Day 1 - Today is a new day!

It's been 1 week since the earthquake in Japan. There may be as many as 10,000 killed, aftershocks continue and there is still the potential for a nuclear meltdown. And today I am starting and sharing a blog, my first ever, on of all topics JOY.

It is not that I am insensitive to world events, but maybe because of them that this blog is being created. As the back of my book cover states, "Happiness Awaits You! began with one woman's desire to bring more happiness into the world. She realized loss and other life changing events often cause us to lose sight of the people and things that bring us joy."

This is why I am creating this blog. In a way it is a continuation of our book, Happiness AwaitsYou!


Tomorrow I will be with Kylee, age 7, and Anthony, age 1. they are my grandchildren. I know that they, as all children have been, affected by this disaster. Parents watch the news. The news affects us. Our moods and feelings affect our children and grandchildren. What role model do I want to be for them? Will it help them if I am depressed about the lives lost, or the threat of a nuclear meltdown? Can I explain with compassion to a 7 year old what has happened?

Can I focus on the beauty and joy that surrounds me now? Can I appreciate even more how precious life is? Will I laugh and giggle with little Anthony and teach him a new words, like "flower, butterfly, pretty, birds"?

Happiness is a choice. And in this moment, this precious moment, I am choosing to appreciate life and be joyful now.

With Peace and Love from my heart of hearts,
 Maggie