Winter Contemplations on Joy

November breezed by. I blinked and it was December and we're officially in the full swing of winter, a time of deep reflection and contemplation. I love myself a good contemplative state.

I've been contemplating my human design and joy, life itself and existence and how it's possible that we're having this human experience at all. The role the body plays and how we can play in life instead of feeling like we're dragging our feet trying to put one foot in front of the other. Why being human feels so dense sometimes and how we've given our power away by accepting that living in a body, in this time, has to be so hard all the time.. mentally, physically, and emotionally.

When I contemplate all of these things that seemingly don't have a right or wrong answer, just a personal truth, I always come up with the same personal truth: this life we're living in a body is a practice of directing your attention and energy. What you see, what you feel, what you experience, it's all a reflection of your own thoughts, energy, ideas, and actions. Action and reaction, but it's coming from you.

I know that's a tough pill to swallow, but even the ways we criticize and blame other people for their behaviors and choices are also a reflection of our own inner and outer state.

I've been contemplating this idea of inner-beauty and how that is currency too. The more we can go inside and get to know both the shadow and the light inside of ourselves, the more we can bring out the inner-beauty and build up our energy to experience joy, wealth, love, all of the good things in life I believe we all aspire to.

Here's what I'm trying to get at: wake up to yourself. A lot of spiritual schools talk about awakening to the illusion of being trapped, into freedom and liberation, but what does that even mean and is it a worthwhile goal? I don't know. I've always found that to be vague and fleeting because we drop back into the illusion so quickly. Freedom seems like a vague and difficult energy to sustain in a world of polarity.

But what I do know is this: the real illusion is that we've been asleep at the wheel, not realizing that we're driving the car and we can take it in any direction we want to. The better goal is to wake up and drive toward joyful living. Happy thoughts, happy relationships, satisfaction while you're living in a body and do have a mind.

Contemplation serves as a practice that can help point us to what it means for us to be happy, but that looks different from person to person because we all have very different desires, which is what makes us individuals. Life is never one size fits all, but we all can benefit from practices that point us toward ourselves and remind us to wake up. The car is on and we're on the road. Put your hands on the wheel, pump up your favorite song, and drive toward joy.