Joyful living......

Joy is the enlivening feeling of happiness and exuberance at what ever is showing up in our lives.  That feeling of perfect synchronicity and electricity where you feel like a super hero and just saved the day!!  I have not really been feeling this way lately and yet my beautiful nature spirits that live in my backyard recently sent a sweet little Goldfinch flying into my life. He has been landing on the branches of the potato vine right outside my dining room window.  He flies in and  flits from branch to branch speaking to me in his beautiful golden way that life is to be enjoyed and that having fun is part of the experience.  After looking up the animal totem meaning I paused and thought I really need to practice what I preach and create a pathway to joy and now!!  This is not always easy especially since business has been slow and an event I planned a week in preparation for brought only a couple of guests and on and on and on.......Well truly from one narrow perspective one might say that I am justified in my disgruntlement but on the other hand I really enjoyed creating all the beautiful elements for the event and had a quiet afternoon in a very clean house and chatted with a lovely young woman who is the niece of a very good friend who is just really blossoming into a creative and wonderful person.  This brought me such joy to see her growing into her own!!  And my client, who came, received the messages she needed to continue moving forward in a positive way in her life so I felt grateful to be part of that healing process for her.  So because there were not throngs of people and cash flowing from the spigot of an extremely busy day working I got to sit and enjoy my day in a relaxed, calm and  rejuvenating manner.  And the next day I had a gathering of friends who study Rudolf Steiner's work and we all enjoyed the left overs from the previous day and we had a beautiful time!!  So just shifting my gaze from one focus to another I realize that the perfect outcome occurred.  Sometimes the very thing we need most is what Spirit provides us!! And if we can trust and let go of the pictures of how we think it was supposed to happen and accept what did, we can even find that the most perfect outcome was realized.  So joy really is a choice like happiness and as the Buddha says "There is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way."  So how do we continue to refocus ourselves towards the joy, towards our most positive selves?  I have found that paying attention to subtle messages that come to me is a great way to shift from a negative perspective to a positive one.  Like noticing this new brilliant yellow bird suddenly arriving in my yard.  I just knew it was a message as birds are often messengers in my life.  So what do you notice in your life??  Sometimes I have noticed a bumper sticker that says the most perfect thing and I thank Spirit for placing that message right on that car in front of me.  Spirit is always helping through our own angels and guides that are always steering us towards our highest good and ultimately to lighten up and enjoy our time as physical bodies on this beautiful planet we call home.  So take the time to notice and pay attention to the seemingly random messages that you see or even over hear in a conversation next to you in line at the bank  or grocery store!  Keeping our ears and eyes open to receive and to be grateful we have these wonderful unseen friends who support us in our lives, to me, is completely comforting.  I am not alone. And the way connections are made are not just random.  We may think we are the only architects in the creations of our lives but we are co-creators and sometimes we are in the back seat while Spirit lets us rest in the passenger seat. So mom (Spirit), where are we going next??  It is nice to take a rest and look out at the scenery going by as we are taken to the right place at the right time to meet the right people and see the pathways open up!!  They pay attention to our every need even if we don't.  Thank you Spirit friends who help me everyday and bring me everything I need when ever I ask and I will prepare myself to receive it!!  Life is a joyful ride please share a story about how joy is entering your life with someone today and watch the joy spread like a ripple in a pond:)

Blessings,
AnnKathleen
Divine Inspiration
Art of Alchemy