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.....

Comments

[Paul C]

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.

[Carol Ross]

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.

[Francine Watkins]

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.

[MJ]

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.

[Carol Ross]

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.