people outside in this little courtyard.  As you can imagine, there were some hard looking characters in the audience, some people that have been living a hard life on the street. But there was also a mixture of so many different stories in that moment. And I remember when we started playing, I could feel these little warm changes starting to happen. Around our second song, some people were even singing along with us. I had learned from the shelter back in Baton Rouge not to hold back my joy even  in the midst pain, but to also be sensitive to the environment.  So I looked out at the audience and I see this one guy whose look on his face almost scared me. He was intensely sc... posted on Jun 3 2019 (5,037 reads)

appreciate about Zen Hospice is its reliance on volunteers, who are key—they’re there to be human beings. Together with our nurses they round out our remarkable caregiving model. I’m a doc, I can layer in all this medication. But really the job is relating to a fellow human being. And so you kind of get smothered in that love when you walk in the house. And you’ve said it’s letting the people in care live fully into their last breath, allowing them to live with joy and hope right up until the end. Letting them have a cigarette if they want, or sleep with a dog at their feet. Yeah, which has been a gift to be part of. I mean, the rest of my life is as a ph... posted on Oct 29 2018 (12,573 reads)

the 12th century, beautifully articulates this lasting truth about the risk to love. FOR THOSE WHO HAVE DIED ELEH EZKERAH - These We Remember 'Tis a fearful thing To love What death can touch. To love, to hope, to dream, And ah, to lose. A thing for fools, this, Love, But a holy thing, To love what death can touch. For your life has lived in me; Your laugh once lifted me; Your word was a gift to me. To remember this brings painful joy. ‘Tis a human thing, love, A holy thing, To love What death can touch. Judah Halevl or Emanuel of Rome - 12th Century This startling poem goes to the very heart of... posted on Oct 22 2023 (48,577 reads)

we grow accustomed to life under lockdown, we are discovering the richness that can emerge from the quiet, contemplative nature of solitude. Hoping to tap into the inner wisdom of our collective attempt to find light amidst darkness, writer Emily Rose Barr asked one simple question of individuals across the globe: What are you doing that's bringing a little extra joy, light, or laughter to your days? As the answers poured in, she realized that perhaps the paradoxes of our time -- hope and fear, connection and isolation, anger and compassion -- are not meant to be reconciled, but simply to be lived. Read more to learn how the discomfort of uncertainty invites us to take care ... posted on Apr 29 2020 (7,827 reads)

of food monthly. A movement of community fridges are beaming out to residents in upstate New York and Philadelphia and Miami. In California, a mom started a pantry out of her front porch, while a Little Food Pantry in South Carolina feeds 950 people. In New York City, a woman who lost her job leads a pantry that feeds thousands. The Joy of Giving is Contagious Among the umpteen stories of giving we perused this year, one thing is clear: the joy of giving is a force that keeps on giving. We were warmed by stories of people gifting homes to community members ranging from a donut shop employee to indigenous community. In t... posted on Jan 4 2022 (14,810 reads)

world using open, empowering language as much as possible. Rather than seeing limitations in Evie, Rachel saw superpowers—unique ways of engaging people and interacting with the world. It inspired her to meet others like Evie, so she set out on a trip around her home country of New Zealand learning from children with similar conditions and capturing their stories using her camera. It resulted in The Super Power Baby Project, a large-format coffee table book featuring joyful, striking portraits of 72 children, as well text detailing their qualities and life-changing powers. The work has won several awards, and taken Rachel to the TEDx stage and numerous c... posted on Jan 16 2022 (3,858 reads)

a wonderful visit from my favorite studio mate in Thailand… Over the past two months it’s been a joy to be with my parents in Bangkok. In our precious time together, I am acutely reminded of my familial lineage, what is passed on to us, and what lives on through us. My mother was the first to teach me about finding and creating beauty in everyday life. She continually called my attention to the smallest of details and always pointed me in the direction of refinement. Of course, as a wild tomboy of a child and even more rebellious teenager, I found this all just too annoying. I could not be bothered with being so picky about appearances or how food was always plated an... posted on May 26 2022 (3,430 reads)

into connection and unlock a synergistic "third way"; with Ahimsa, we dive into our inward sea and become an instrument of a collective "soul force"; and with Sarvodaya we embrace a much grander Infinite game that designs solutions that uplift all. A heartivist, then, plays an infinite game as a skilful agent of a collective soul-force. Or simply put, someone who is moved by Love. Capital L. And there is one simple litmus test of a Heartivist – joy. Just as Dr. King implores us to serve, Indian Noble Laureate, Rabindranth Tagore articulates a beautiful process of service: “I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life... posted on Feb 2 2023 (8,876 reads)

go out into culture like agents of nourishment. We teach our children about the craft and economy of self-employment as we write, record, and tour. And we have much yet to learn.   The exercise of writing my letter to Wendell Berry was, after my procrastination, a very gratifying experience. Just knowing that my official “thank you” was sealed, stamped, and on its way to Port William — I mean, Port Royal — gave me a feeling of deep satisfaction and joy. This would have been enough, but then a few months later, he wrote me a reply. I read his words of appreciation on a simple note, typed on simple stationery. I was thrilled. Around that same ... posted on Aug 15 2012 (14,491 reads)

change itself isn’t the problem — it’s fighting the change, fearing the change, not wanting things to be different. How to Get Good at Uncertainty And so we see that the answer is becoming good at change. If we are good at dealing with new things, with things as they come no matter how different they are, then we don’t fear it. Then change itself becomes comfortable. If we become comfortable with change, it’s not scary. We can then embrace it, find joy in it. You can see this in people who we call “adventurous” — they seek new experiences, because they know they’ll be fine, and that it can be amazing. (Note that this is d... posted on Oct 17 2012 (32,355 reads)

had a stroke. JBT: Absolutely. It’s given me a whole new perspective of life. It’s made me an evangelist for a balanced brain. I want people to use both of their hemispheres. And I want them to recognize that they have more power over what’s going on between their ears than they ever had any idea. I think that’s important. I think the more responsibility we take for what’s going on inside of our brains, then the happier we are going to be. I am an advocate for joy. DK: Why do you suppose so many people don’t choose happiness? JBT: I think a lot of them don’t know that they can. I think that they experience their emotions and experience the... posted on Aug 21 2013 (44,265 reads)

I started going to every brothel,” she laughs. “And in every brothel, I found some person or another who was waiting to love you.”  After getting off work, she and a couple friends would simply spend their evenings talking with the women and learning their stories-- where they came from and how their lives brought them to G.B. Road.  “I mean, there used to be beautiful chats between the women, talking about everything... I started enjoying that time. I didn't want to go during the afternoon time, when I was expected to go and ask certain questions [for my job].”  The tension between her daytime role as a health ... posted on Dec 12 2014 (41,934 reads)

of you would like to join you’re more than welcome. This is funky Friday, let’s get funky.” The sounds of a dance tune blast through the carriage and the man erupts into dance. Half smiles, awkward glances. But then one lady gets up and joins him. A man joins them. Others stand up, hesitantly at first but then exploding into uninhibited dance. Soon virtually everyone is up dancing. Smiles shine out as strangers dance through the train. Barriers drop, fears evaporate and joy emanates. Video footage of this rare moment of public connection went viral across the internet, attracting more than 23 million views. The man responsible for this act is Peter Sharp of ... posted on Jun 3 2015 (24,012 reads)

words that I think would resonate with people. PD:  Can you say a little something about the physical training that is necessary to do sho? For example, what do you need to do to get your hand and your muscle to the point where the can fluidly execute a work? RN:  Well, like anything else—practice, practice, practice. There’s no secret to this thing. I don’t know if one should have determination, but one should just keep on practicing. There’s a joy in just the process of doing itself, and the longer one does it—the more familiar one becomes, the more comfortable one is—the more one will want to do it. So it’s just simply pr... posted on Feb 22 2017 (7,917 reads)

though the color is not nearly so white. We do that more than most cultures... But I don't know how to look at this through other cultures, since I'm in this culture, too. This is where we get to relativity, in terms of judgement.      We don't assign color to spaces easily, as a pilot does. That's very different. You do get involved in these colors of sky, and the sky does darken as you go up in altitude. There's no doubt of that. And that's a great joy to see that. You get different intensities of sky right here at 7000 feet. RW:  I'm glad you mentioned that word "joy" because, certainly for me, there can be a great deal of... posted on Mar 26 2017 (14,812 reads)

and social justice. His career includes work on nearly every continent. He is the author of The Gentle Art of Blessing: A Simple Practice That Will Transform You and Your World, in which he posits that making the conscious choice to bless every person or being around you can truly make a world of difference in yourself and in others around you. Drawing from his own personally transformative experience while engaged in international development work, through which he converted to joy his own resentment (that “was literally eating me up”) by consciously blessing his detractors, Pierre shows that the practice of blessing has the power to create more than just a renew... posted on Apr 7 2017 (15,763 reads)

and numerous alternative healing modalities -- modalities that allowed her to uncover buried issues including the sexual abuse she experienced as a child.  Now booming startup founder and dedicated community servant. Technology entrepreneur Thu Nguyen has transformed her life into one of service -- on "the other side of deprivation and need."  Through remarkable resourcefulness, resilience, and a dedication to re-learning the "art of living", Thu has found joy on the other side of suffering.  "You can't really experience joy without the suffering," she has written. "It's a priceless memory you will never forget, as op... posted on Apr 20 2017 (13,365 reads)

on for years So keep giving, of your stuff and yourself Until your ego, has done nothing but melted Be wary of the impact that you wanna make instead make sure you are impacted each day have your eye on the sky, but still see the ants for the small things are the foundation of all that will last We move on As time passes by Lets just hope we move from Darkness to light When we reach the top And we look back, I Hope you cry, Filled with tears of joy, satisfied Be careful not to accumulate too many things Because you may just end up with a pot full of greed And doing,  likewise can also be deceiving So I encourage you all ... posted on May 4 2017 (27,079 reads)

to survive. works:  Yes. How are you feeling about suiseki today? Janet:  I fell in love with suiseki when I first saw them. I was introduced to it by an American, Felix Rivera, who broke off from the San Francisco group to establish an English-speaking group to spread it among English speakers. And just like with bonsai, I can’t tell you in explicit words why I fell in love with it. It’s partially that love of stone itself; you pick up stones wherever you go and enjoy them. People have been doing that for many thousands of years. works: Do you have any further reflections about the love of stones and rocks? I know it very well in myself. Janet:  I do... posted on Dec 4 2017 (26,017 reads)

order to be pushing together. How are you breathing each day? Who are you breathing with? Because ... when executive orders and news of violence hits our bodies hard, sometimes less than a minute apart, it feels like dying.In those moments, my son places his hand on my cheek and says, "Dance time, mommy?" And we dance. In the darkness, we breathe and we dance. Our family becomes a pocket of revolutionary love. Our joy is an act of moral resistance. How are you protecting your joy each day? Because in joy we see even darkness with new eyes. And so the mother in me asks, what if this darkness is... posted on Mar 31 2018 (2,096 reads)