Finding Unexpected Joy In LockDown

Have you ever noticed those people who always seem happy? Not the annoyingly, boisterous, temporary happy, but the quietly, peaceful and contented people that have an illusive and contagious joy emanating from them. (I’m talking about the ones you gravitate to and just want to be in their presence, not the ones you want to punch.)

This is the kind of Joy, I am after in my life. Joy that emanates. Joy that spills over to others, inspiring kindness. Joy that doesn't leave even when life is tough --sometimes really tough. But how can we find it? How can we pin it down and make it take up residence deep in our souls?

You might be surprised to discover that this authentic joy or happiness is not as difficult to find as you might think. I have discovered through experience that the key lies in where I focus my attention. The more I ruminate on my difficult life circumstances and feel trapped, overwhelmed and defeated, the quicker I spiral into that place. I know you know the place I am talking about. The lonely, self defeating hole where everything feels gloomy and the sun will never shine again.

We all find ourselves there from time to time. Lacking confidence. Feeling lost or disappointed. Lonely. Grieving great losses. Discouraged beyond what we feel able to bear.

Turning my thinking around when I am in this dark place is not easy but it is simple. There is a centuries old remedy that has been credited as the most effective tool in bringing back true joy.

Gratitude and Encouragement

Like I said, while not easy, it is simple. The Key is to turn one's focus away from our own trouble and find someone else to encourage and / or opportunities to be grateful. Some people create a Gratitude Journal. Some purpose to speak thanks each day. Some choose meditation or prayers of thanksgiving. Here is what we did to pull ourselves out of the hole that the Worldwide Pandemic thrust us into.

Finding Purpose During Lockdown

In the Spring of 2020 when the world was newly trapped inside by a mysterious virus, my family found ourselves floundering, trying to figure out how to traverse this new and lonely existence. A good friend had shared the story of John Kralik with me and his journey from devastation to joy which he wrote about in the book “365 Thank Yous.”

An Overview:

The book, “365 Thank Yous” by John Kralik is a life altering example of how this principle works. The author was at the bottom. His career was failing, his second wife had left him. He had lost relationship with his older children and feared the same with his youngest. He was overweight and living in a tiny dilapidated apartment. His life hopes and dreams had been dashed and he was out of hope. Then, on New Year’s Day he took off for a lone hike in nature and realized he needed to turn his focus to gratitude for what he had instead of always looking at what he lacked. He reflected on a beautiful, though simple note he had received at Christmas from a former girlfriend and was inspired to begin seeking out people to express gratitude to in his life. John set a goal that day to write 365 thank you notes in the coming year. The book goes on to share his journey choosing people to thank and the amazing results for both him as the writer and the recipients of these simple heartfelt letters. Though the circumstances in his life remained challenging, John’s whole life turned around and he not only gained deep seated joy and happiness but he spread gratitude and joy to thousands of other people as well. I highly recommend this book which you can find here. (The Kindle version is only $1.99 right now.)

Applying Gratitude to Our Own Quarantine Experience

Inspired by the idea of reaching out to others during the lockdown, my kids and I took this advice to heart and began creating handmade cards to send as encouragement and thanks to other people.

Our Kitchen table became littered with cardstock, scissors, punches, glue, watercolor paint, paintbrushes, masking fluid, and a big pile of creativity.

As we poured ourselves into both the art & creative side of the cards as well as crafting encouraging notes to friends and family, we began to feel connected and grateful and part of a bigger community. Instead of feeling lonely and depressed, suddenly we found purpose and hope, which renewed a great sense of peace and well-being to us as well as hopefully to the recipients of our simple gifts.

As you can see, we managed to keep ourselves pretty busy! And hopefully at the same time we were able to bring joy to many others

It is oft said, “It’s more blessed to give than to receive.” In both my own life as well as my personal observations, I would agree wholeheartedly with this adage. While receiving a gift is always fun, the greater reward of having given of one's self, seeds deep joy and satisfaction in our very souls as we find and fulfill our human purpose to make this world just a little bit better each day that we are blessed to wake up.

It is my great desire that the things I write would brighten your world or your day at least a tiny bit. This is what I wake up for, to make the world a little nicer and a little better for everyone I am privileged to "bump" into.

If you wish to explore more of my musings, they can be found here: Maria Calderoni Hopefully, you will be encouraged, or at least entertained.

Peace (and JOY) to you!