The Plot To Steal Joy: Day 19

Day 19 Unfolds:

My friend David Nicholson is right - in response to my post yesterday (The Plot To Steal Joy Day 18), he said: Don’t try.

It caught me by surprise. And then I understood why. Because my strength is limited. My ability is limited. My tank is limited. Where I’m limited, I can’t give freely. And that is why I’ve been struggling so hard to be a better person. On my own, by my own, I can’t do it.

So I stopped trying. Instead, I went to places to observe people living happy lives. I found them at the local climbing gym. Guys and gals climbing on walls. Guys setting routes on the walls. The bearded and tattooed barista loving his coffee-brewing vocation. Just by observing them, I felt a sense of liberty. They are carefree. Their sprightly attitude towards life rubbed positively onto me.

I sat down for a piece of homemade granola bar and a wonderful cuppa Joe. I felt peace flood into my soul. I smiled and told myself, “All is well. All is well with my soul.”

I’m a firm believer that change happens inside out, as illustrated in this previous post (The Plot To Steal Joy Day 16). Truly, as I took care to nurture my soul, my external countenance lit up. When I saw my husband a couple of hours later, we smiled at each other. We’re one again.

The score today?

Joy: 1. Peace: 1.

A rare treat, seeing I’ve been coffee-free for over two months now, but this splendid cup of Americano and homemade granola bar from Piccino Coffee Bar at DogPatch in San Francisco is too heavenly to pass so indulge I did.