The world right now is a curious place. Everywhere I look, people are hurting. It’s enough to make me feel helpless, and I know that I am not alone. But as I said to a dear friend just the other day, every coin has two sides. Whether the coin lands on heads or tails, the other side STILL EXISTS. I think the same can be said about joy and pain. Especially when it comes to our lived experiences.
There are enough proverbs and idioms already in existence that I do not need to try to come up with one on my own. Ying and Yang; Good and Evil; Light and Dark; Apparently according to my husband the second law of thermodynamics is also a good example of this. (edited to add that he later fact check himself and was incorrect. but hey! I trusted him ) That one’s for the nerds 😉 The practice becomes: how can we find it, when all we can see is one side?
When it comes to joy, specifically, what I have found more often than not; is that the joy is always there. Though you might have to look for it. Sometimes it’s quiet moments alone, sometimes it’s shared only between a few, and sometimes its millions of people getting behind an underdog football team and sharing in the joy of their success. (Go Birds.) There is joy to be found in every situation, around every corner, and it might be buried deep our souls. But it is there.
Cool Cherie, what’s your point?
Well, to put it simply, I want to be about uncovering the joy. I want to be about working through the pain – together. One of my favorite things to say is that Life is a team sport. I truly believe that. Sure we can do things alone, but we can do so much more together. We have all experienced the joys and the struggles of this life, and I think if we can manage to use our learnings to help the next one figure it out just a little bit quicker, well there’s joy in that too!
So I guess what I am saying is it’s time to air our dirty laundry – at least mine anyway. Because I am sure that my experiences are not mine alone. A friend of mine often says, “the human experience is not unique”. I agree with this to a point, and specifically to the point that we can use our experiences to help others with theirs. I do believe it will circle its way back to you, if that’s something you’re worried about.
Over the last few years, I have seen people connect and build some really special relationships right in front of my eyes , and I think it’s time to come out from behind the bar and see just how far we can let that magic grow. I sincerely hope you will join me.
❤
