May your life be blessed with the four pillars of joy. The love of family and friends, health, happiness and peace. May you pass these on to all you meet.
Each of these pillars is a post in itself. In fact, I have several past posts on all of these. Each pillar brings a certain amount of joy, but together one can be truly joyful.
Below is a small breakdown of each:
Love
We all need love in our life. Sometimes, however, people don’t understand that love begins with us. When we give love, we receive love in return. Is that true in all cases? No, but it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t give our love freely and without condition.
That is the challenge – without condition. I’ve heard often over the years someone say I give and give and get nothing in return. The true spirit of giving and loving has no condition and no expectation of reciprocal action. We do it simply because we should, and it is the right thing to do.
I endeavour to love as I would want to be loved as that is what we are commanded. Do unto others as you would have done unto you. If we are crabby and negative, that is the energy we send out and, therefore, what we receive back.
It is not up to others to make us feel better or loved. It is up to us to do that. When others offer love, we should accept it gladly and freely, and again, without condition.
Health
If we want to have a long and active life, being mobile in our older years, we need to care for ourselves. We need to feed our bodies and exercise to keep moving.
Not all exercise is created equal. I am not a weight lifter or jogger, but that doesn’t mean I can’t keep moving. I love to walk, swim, and dance. All are excellent forms of exercise. They are made even more enjoyable when done with a friend.
Health is more than our physical body, though. We also need to take care of our mental and spiritual health. Getting proper sleep and eating balanced meals help with mental health, but sometimes more is required.
Your mental state affects you, but it also affects those around you. Occasionally, people get so lost in their own issues that they forget the impact they are having on others.
Recognize if you need to talk to someone or need additional help. There is no shame in asking for or receiving help. It takes much courage and strength to take that first step and ask for help or seek advice. Be proud of yourself when you do.
Among things that need tending is our spiritual health. We house a spirit, a pure light source directly linking us to God. When we walk in the shadows or fill our minds with negative or abusive thoughts and images, we diminish that light.
Television and video games have become so violent and filled with harshness and vulgarity that people are not shocked by them anymore. This is a sad thing. We should be horrified when we see someone killed, not playing games to practise shooting people.
The networks must get a better handle on this. Many movies are just as good without all the swearing and added violence. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. This is something they need to understand. If your plot can’t support itself, then it is not a very good story, to begin with.
To feed your spirit, pray. Pray daily and talk to God. Bring your problems and your joys to Him. He is there for it, and with you, through it all.
Happiness
As I said above, we are each responsible for our own health, and part of that includes our happiness. It is not up to others to make us happy. This job is solely ours.
If we rely on other people for our joy, we place an unfair expectation on them. Yes, people add to our happiness. That is natural. Please understand, they also can add to our sorrow.
If you go into a relationship wanting the other person to fix all your broken parts, you will be disappointed. How can someone know all these parts? That is too much responsibility for another person who has no control over your feelings. Only you can heal those areas through forgiveness and self-care.
Only you know what will make you happy. If you don’t, try different things until you find the things that bring you joy. Once you have those, make them a regular part of your life.
Peace
Peace is found within. It comes with self-acceptance. It is in the knowing that you are doing your very best. No one can ask for more than that. When we do our best to be a good person, a loving and caring person and an ambassador of joy, we find peace.
Peace is also found in forgiveness. Many are so angry against someone who has hurt them that they find this difficult. Recognize that anger comes from and is tied to immense sorrow. The only way to release this is to forgive.
We forgive, not just for the other person to give them a sense of peace, but for ourselves. With forgiveness, we are given the ability to look at the facts without emotion. The sadness and anger dissipate, not always at once, but they do disappear.
If we still feel the emotion, there is more forgiving to do. This is not an easy task, but a necessary one. The reward, though, is peace.
For me, personally, my faith brings with it a sense of peace. It is in the knowing that I am not alone, and in all things, God walks with me. This makes the hard times more bearable. I can lay my worries and sorrows, along with my joy, at God’s feet and know that they will be tended to.
Again, each of these is a topic on its own. Feel free to look at older posts for more information on each topic.
I wish you love, health, happiness and peace within for alone and together, they bring bliss. These are the four pillars of joy.
Free inspirational or motivational posts can be found on the inspirational page of Leslie’s website.