Little Known Ways to Love, Healing, Joy

Where do you find joy, peace, relaxation, love and healing?

Specifically, which areas? What do you that brings these things into your life?
Before you read another line, I want you to write five of them down:
1) …………………………………………………….
2) ……………………………………………………
3) ……………………………………………………
4) ……………………………………………………
5) ……………………………………………………

Here are my five: Reading, Riding my motorcycle, taking a nap, Starting/Consulting on a new business venture, and listening to good music while hanging out, laughing and talking with my wife.

Did you stop and write the five down? If not, do not pass go, do not collect $200. Just go back and write them down.

Yes, Bryan I did. Good for you! That tells me you are willing to do the small stuff which can actually make a significant difference on the big stuff.

No, Bryan I did not. Why not? Too busy? Can’t find a pen? Did it in your head? I didn’t say do it in your head. I said write it down. There is a specific reason I said write it down. Doing so has more impact at an unconscious level. It makes it more real. It gives you a moment to plant a seed. Since you didn’t write anything down maybe you’ll do this for me: stop reading this for awhile and come back to it later when you are ready to make a commitment to yourself. You don’t have to be reading this message right now but you are, yet you aren’t really in to it, so just sit it aside and I’ll be here when you return.

For those of you that wrote down the five things. Let me ask you this question: When was the last time you did each of the five? Think about that for a moment and then go and put the date or approximate days it’s been since you did each of the five. Every day I read something I enjoy. I rode my motorcycle last weekend. It was 70 degrees here and I rode a good ways around a lake, through the country and then stopped at a road side bar and enjoyed a cold beer. It was a great evening. I usually take a fifteen minute nap every day, sometimes twice a day. I’m currently consulting with a number of new business offerings – I absolutely love business. It’s been too long since my wife and I had the music and laughter though. We enjoy most going to a great outdoors concert. We make a point on most nights however to talk and to laugh. So I’d say, all in all, within the last two weeks I’ve probably made time to do all of the things that I enjoy most, and many of those things on a daily basis. Joy brings oxytocin into your system. Oxytocin brings calm, regulation and peace. Peace brings joy, joy brings…How about you?

One of the things you want most is for the healing of your child –  to have an open, loving and trusting relationship. But, if you are not taking care of yourself first, you don’t have the energy to provide what your child needs. Your child cannot be your source of joy. That’s too great of an expectation to place on your child. He or she will inevitably let you down. Find your own joy. Make time for the things you love and a natural healing environment will unfold.

Love is all around us, all of the time. We just have to slow down long enough to experience it. You cannot ‘make’ love happen, but you can start opening yourself up to it more of the time. There is a beautiful quote from Isaiah 30:15 (NAB) that says this a bit differently, “By waiting and by calm you shall be saved, in quiet and in trust your strength lies.” Imagine that, by waiting and by calm, in quiet… Choose love – B.