Ordinary Joy

I'm in all out Brené Brown fangirl-mode. 

My favourite thing is that she focuses on the ordinary. Ordinary courage. The way we express our hearts everyday. That's the kind of courage we need, not heroic. 

She does the same thing below with joy. It's not about the new job, lottery winning or tropical vacation moments of joy that lead to a joyful life. It's the ordinary joys that we need to look for everyday. A great cup of tea. A kind word from our spouse. Watching someone learn to live into their own story. 

She also points out that we can hide from our joy. We downplay the importance of a situation because we're afraid of being disappointed by it. The disappointment is no less great, it's just that we've hidden it from others.

I'm just as guilty of hiding my joy as I am of my fears. I'll shrug off how excited I am about an opportunity because it's vulnerable to let someone into a joyful moment that I'm holding particularly close. I also won't have to tell them later that if it happens to not work out. Again avoiding the vulnerable. As shame diminishes when exposed to the light, joy grows. So which ever way an opportunity turns out I'll be helping to decrease the hurt or increase the happiness by sharing it with those I hold near.