Joy of Becoming

As I walked in the Nature Park by my house with Ganesh on a dark, grey, and rainy afternoon, I thought about this week’s talk entitled Joy of Becoming. It was late in the afternoon, a little bit cold, and I bemoaned the fact that I had to hurry because the sun sets so early this time of year. I was having a hard time clicking with the joy of it all.

It rained a little bit that morning, and as I walked around the far end of the pond and started to head back, I began to notice all of the yellow flowers that were blooming. That type of bush was everywhere, and the buttery color of the petals stood out in sharp contrast to the dark green leaves. I noticed that the flowers pointed toward the side that would get the most sun, and I thought that if I were a flower, I would want to bask in the sun too.

A few more steps down the path and I saw a gorgeous pair of snowy white egrets, with their wings stretched out wide as they did a slow bank to come back past me. It felt like I watched them in slow-motion and that I could have reached out and touched them if I wanted to. I wondered if this was a mated pair and what a joy it would be to fly with someone I loved.

After a few more steps down the path, I had to stop and take in the scene. Here I was with Ganesh, the flowers, the egrets, and of course, the ducks. A little patch of heaven in the city. I found myself feeling joy, but I had missed the transition from the grey to the bright. In reality, I had just arrived without even knowing that I was journeying to a different destination.

Aha, I thought to myself. The “joy of becoming” is just that. The joy is becoming joyous through a natural blossoming of my inherent nature. There does not have to be a journey, a process, or even steps. I can just become that which I already am, an incarnation of the Joy of the Living God. I realized that all the things that reminded me of Joy were just that: reminders. I did not need them to be joyous. Maybe they were a creation of my Joy, instead of creating joy within me.

As I realized the sun was setting, I moved on along the path with a deep sigh, content in the joy of the moment. I had become joyous, without having to do anything but be aware that I was joyful. I had not put any obstacles in the path of joy, so I had experienced my natural state of being. I left the nature park differently than I had entered. It was the same day, the same weather, and I had the same list of things left to do, but now I was filled with cheer and ready to take on everything I needed to do.

Join me in taking a walk on the brighter side of life. It is a true joy.