Seizing the Joy and Spontaneity of Every Day

Our lives can be so serious and morose (I say this with trepidation as April 15 approaches quickly; how about an IRS audit as "serious"?). There is an endless list of tragedy and grave conditions, locally and around the world. (I won't even begin the list.) How do we cope? For me, it is a combination of faith and humor, to extract the joy of everyday living.

We tend to think that life is a series of major "events" - births, graduations, weddings, funerals. We devote much time and energy into these events. I would not diminish the relevance of these major events; but I think "life" happens in between these major events. Life happens in both our regular routines and the aspect of serendipity.

The other day, I picked up my daughter from after-school care, to discover that they were celebrating one of the teacher's birthdays by throwing cream pies in his face. The teacher had graciously agreed to this (actually, knowing this teacher, I think he encouraged this idea). The kids took turns throwing cream pies at his face, to the great amusement of all (especially the teacher). Seeing the kids (and other adults) regale with laughter brought out a sense of joy amongst everybody there. It's little moments like these that are worth seizing whenever they evolve in front of us.

Or how about that complement you get from a colleague? Or that peck on the cheek you give your spouse as you run out the door? Or the joke you share with two friends at lunch? Or the wave you exchange with your neighbor? Or the brief conversation you share with another parishioner after church? Are these insipid instances that don't "matter"? No, in fact I think each one matters a lot. Each one can evoke a sense of joy if we let it.

Our grasp on life is tenuous. The Japanese have a phrase, "Mono no aware," which essentially describes the awareness of the _transience of life_ and a sadness of its passing. We can mitigate the sadness by seizing the joy of everyday, "little" events.