In my mind, I held a negative connotation for the word and emotion “ecstasy.” For a while there, I convinced myself that it was bad and undesirable to reach a state of ecstasy due to falsely viewing it as a corruption of joy. At the end of the day, these are all only words trying to express my true inner thoughts and feelings. Any of it can be pure, and any of it can be corrupted. Pure joy or corrupted joy. Pure ecstasy or corrupted ecstasy. I am now overjoyed to see this part more fully and clearly. This realization permits me to joyously detach from many attached meanings that held me back. The intent behind it all means more and carries more weight than any literal meanings we associate intellectually. Intuit the depth deliberately. Allow the true essence to bubble up and shine authentic light.
Find ecstasy in life; the mere sense of living is joy enough.
-Emily Dickinson
A new thought I am merely toying with between pure emotions and corrupted emotions hearkens back to the idea of who or what is steering the ship (your life) in your lane. Pure emotions guide us towards and help us to see our best path forward. Corrupted emotions tug us here or there, often against our will or perhaps even without our awareness and conscious knowing. Are we joyous because we choose to be or because we are being swept away in a storm of subterfuge? Can you embrace each moment with authentic joy?
Each moment and whatever happens thrills me with joy.
-Walt Whitman
I find far more joy in mindfully steering my ship, even when in a storm. The added nuance and beauty here that I am now appreciating is the idea of listening and responding to the waves and the winds. I should not always steer the ship where I think it should go. I will follow the path that seems to be set forth in front of me. If I disregard the natural laws of the ocean, then my ship may break and sink. If I flow with the tides and motions, then I will continue exploring and uncovering uncharted areas. I do not need to know where I am going. I can simply enjoy the journey, sailing as smoothly and successfully as I can.
Talking about our problems is our greatest addiction. Break the habit. Talk about your joys.
-Rita Schiano
Are you fighting the ocean of life, or are you friends with it? Do you first share your problems with others, or do you supply your successes instead? Are you steering the conversations, or are your habits stepping in and defaulting dreary dialogue? We can slowly recognize and break free of joyless habits. If they are not sparking joy for us on a daily basis, then why do we continue to rely upon them? Rewrite your story. Step back up and correct the course of your ship. Joyfully chart a path with a new idea that feels best.
Don’t surrender all your joy for an idea you used to have about yourself that isn’t true anymore.
-Cheryl Strayed
Love yourself and love others enough to show up joyfully as often as you can. Find the details and meanings that make you smile. Light up your life with what makes your lane bright, cheery, and full of laughter and lightheartedness. As long as it is not affecting the lanes of others, then who cares if it does not fit a standard norm? Let your love lead you.
I love quotations because it is a joy to find thoughts one might have, beautifully expressed with much authority by someone recognized wiser than oneself.
-Marlene Dietrich
He ‘olina leo ka ke aloha.
-Hawaiian proverb
(A joyousness is in the voice of love.)
Be gleeful, be ecstatic, or be overjoyed. Find and channel your uplifting vibrations in a pure, mindful, and meaningful way. I love the idea of always carrying joy forward with me. In any moment, I can reflect on and appreciate everything around me. The sea will rage at times, and there will be storms, so I am learning how to fare well through it all.
Maybe it is wise. Maybe it is dumb. Time will tell.