When Was The Last Time You Experienced Joy Like This?
A friend on Facebook posted this video of a creative, joyful start to a wedding:
It's been awhile since I blogged, two weeks to be exact. While you may have been wondering about the absence (or not), I was doing the same thing. Why haven't I made the time to sit down and write?
I realized yesterday that my creative spirit has been lagging–crowded out by a left-brain, get-a-new-business-off-the-ground, day-and-night work schedule. Under those conditions, it's hard to have the internal conversations and insights that inspire me to write.
I realized yesterday that joy, the kind that is so evident in the video above, had disappeared. At the start of the video, I was laughing and by the end, I was crying. Crying at the sweetness of pure joy, expressed in bodily movement and community clapping and lovely lyrics.
I'm not completely back, but I'm getting there. A little yoga, a weekend bike ride, some music-making on my flute (it had a been a year since I had played), and maybe even an inaugural foos ball game (found at a garage sale this morning) with my kids and/or hubby. All of these things are just as important as a sales pipeline, trademark applications, systems requirements and marketing plans.
If I forget, I'll be sure to watch the video again…..
Hi Carol,
Your posts are a joy to read, a reflection of your blog perspective. Thanks for sharing this video as I had a similar reaction, from joy to tears… Seeing the big things in the small things… All the best.
Thanks, Paul, for your kind words. One of the best things about blogging is being able to share with others things that I find interesting or move me in some way. It’s a gift to find kindred spirits like you.
Hi Carol,
I was touched by your candid and moving reflection. Likely all of us have hit that wall from time to time. (Certainly I have.) So refreshing to hear it from a pro like you. I needed that reminder. Thank You. Best to you.
Glad to see you back. You sound just like me – I go whole-hog into left brained things, burn out, and end up empty and exhausted (and joyless) until I bounce back. Hm, why not try NOT burning out next time? Still working on that…
The left side of the brain is necessary, I suppose (at least in biz) but I must say that the more time I spend on the Left the more bleak and joyless life seems. Must be the strain of being Right brained and forcing things.
Francine and MJ–yes, burnout is ugly, isn’t it? Pays to do a bit of preventive maintenance! We all need reminders now and then and in the end our bodies and spirits won’t let us forget.