Last weekend was a burst of summer like weather in PA. That brought all the birds out in full force to our feeders and birdbath. At one point there was a line for the birdbath. I am not kidding you. Birds were lined up on the fence watching and waiting as another bird bathed with unbridled rapture. I do not over-exaggerate here. As I watched these birds flap their wings around in the water and dip their heads into the splash I could feel their joy. Perhaps I am projecting a bit but it felt like an immersion of joy and total reckless abandon as I watched them. I thought how cool is this?
I found it worth noting how great I felt as I watched them (and their obvious enjoyment). I was reminded about how the real daily joys really are in the little things if we only take a moment to stop, look, listen, and notice. I also thought about how much fun it’d be to just let go totally myself and have that kind of crazy joy the birds seemed to be experiencing. So often as professional women we forget that we need a little of that reckless abandon and letting loose as well.
If you think you can’t stop and enjoy little daily joys like watching these birds because maybe you live in the city, are stuck in a cubicle all day, or are too busy with the serious business of running a business to take the time…I am here to challenge you to ask “Is that really so?”
Perhaps you won’t get much nature at your disposal while in a brain-death-causing cubicle, but you can enjoy the smile of a co-worker you enjoy. Relish a walk around the building outside on a glorious day. Take 10 minutes to have coffee with a fellow employee you admire or would like to get to know. There can be great joy in being fully present with a client and simply enjoying the opportunity to serve them. If you find your clients draining you dry, perhaps you need a little work aligning your business with more ideal clients, but even that can be a fun process if you allow it to be.
So, I leave you with the vision of these birds gloriously doing their thing and the question – How can you bask in the joy that is around you today?
Photo Credit: Flickr
