Most people when they see me they see someone who is generally happy, quick to smile or crack a joke. I might be described as one who has joy, one who often looks at the bright side.
But this isn’t the whole story. Though most days are pretty good, every once in a while the past hurts and sadness rise up and overwhelm. They are barely beneath the surface, tainting everything that I walk in, robbing me of happiness. These days, though few and far between, are difficult. I don’t feel like doing much, like dealing with the chaos of life.
It’s during these down times that I have to make a conscious effort to turn my day around, to not let it take over. Like everyone, I can fall prey to the negativity and the lies.
And so I chose joy. I choose to make the best of what I’ve got, to turn my focus to the positive instead of the negative that tries to take over. I chose to listen to the music, to dance in the rain.
This is not to say that we should stuff things down, to ignore them. No, it simply means to shift our focus and not let the bad overcome the good. Not let the negatives overshadow the positives. Rather we must find that balance to help us make it through each day. It’s like when you’re looking for blue cars you’ll see blue cars, but if you’re not you won’t notice them. If your time and focus is spent on the negative that’s all you’ll see. But once we take the time to see the good, go look at the positive, then we will begin to see more positive.
We must make a point of giving time to the negative, to give it the attention it needs in order to heal, and no more. We must also give time to the positive, to acknowledge the good that we may see the negative in the proper light and not as overwhelming as it feels when that’s all we see.
And so today I choose joy. I choose to not let the negative weigh me down, take over my outlook. I choose to look on the bright side, to not allow the bad to overshadow my relationships and my day.
Will you choose joy?