Here in NYC, I’ve been bundling up for months in a puffer coat, thick scarf, hat and gloves. And I’ve been ok with it, until last Tuesday when I stepped outside and the cold went to my bones. In that moment I thought, I’m done. I’ve used up all of my tolerance for winter.
Which brings me to today, March 21, the second official day of spring. Winter storm Toby has come to town, the fourth nor’easter here in less than three weeks. They’re saying it’s a heavy, icy snow that will accumulate one to three inches per hour all day long, and we’ll get over a foot of snow in the end.
To the weather-channel people I say, what have you done with my joy?
Ok, maybe it’s not the meteorologists who’ve deliberately delayed spring, but sometimes it feels good to put the blame somewhere else instead of looking within.
Last week I mentioned that I’ve been doing a meditation from Abraham-Hicks every day. Near the end of it, they say “Your life is supposed to feel good to you, and you are meant to feel happiness in your life, and you are meant to satisfy your dreams.” Every time I hear that, I think, “Oh yeah, that’s right! I totally forgot.” I know we are here to experience joy. It’s just so easy to forget every day when you hear the news or look out at the lousy weather. So when circumstances bring you down, where do you find the joy?
Two days ago I was walking down a busy sidewalk, stressed by all the errands I had to run. Ahead of me, I saw a man kneeling on the ground with his golden retriever, smothering the pup with hugs and kisses. He continued loving on his dog until I passed them, at which point I heard him say enthusiastically, “Ok, come on, let’s go!”. It made me smile, and in that moment, I felt lighter. I could get those errands done, no problem.
The day before that, I saw a man walking his puppy on a midtown street corner during rush hour. Hordes of pedestrians were bustling through the corner, and I witnessed at least five people stop in their tracks and gasp at how outrageously adorable the puppy was. Yes, that puppy shot arrows of love into the hearts of a bunch of jaded New Yorkers during rush hour, including me.
When I thought about Toby snowing on my parade today, the lines of that Rob Base song popped in my head: “Joy and pain. Like sunshine and rain.” Sometimes two extremes aren’t that far apart, and it doesn’t take much to go from one to the other. The animals make it look SO easy to attract joy—and guess what—it really is easy. If it can turn the vibe around on a crazy NYC street corner, it can do wonders in your head and heart. Joy is always there, waiting for us to pay attention to it. And “ok, come on, let’s go” is music to its ears.
It’s all about the magic. 🙌