Word of the day: Effervescent

Definition: Unrestrained joy. Bubbly.

I read that and I’m all like, “Hey! I want unrestrained joy!” I think of a fountain or well of joy, bubbling up from deep inside me or  the iridescence of a bubble in the sun. Think about the happiness on a young child’s face when you break out the bubbles. Pure, simple joy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love that bubbles rise into the sky, the rainbows across their surface always changing.

One of the best concepts I’ve ever heard regarding unrestrained joy is the blue sky analogy from Headspace. Andy Puddicomb, founder of Headspace, says that happiness, joy and clarity are like blue sky above the clouds. IT’S ALWAYS THERE.

The very first time I went skiing, my husband talked me into taking a chairlift to a run far beyond my level. He promised he would help me down, but there was something I just had to see. The clouds were extremely heavy–so heavy you could almost feel them weighing you down. I was cold and grumpy and worried about getting down the run and then something began to happen, to change. The air became lighter and soon shafts of sunlight were cutting through the layers. The clouds transformed into millions of sparkling, moving crystals, reflecting the light of the sun. And then we were through, my legs dangling as we continued to move up the side of the mountain, blue sky arching above us. Down below, people were still skiing beneath the clouds, while not that far above them, the blue sky encircled the earth and the sun shone.

It’s always blue. It’s always present.

Action: Take time out during the day to be mindful that the blue sky is always there, no matter how stressed or cloudy things look.

 

 

 

Image courtesy of tigger11th/freedigitalphotos.net