Unexpected joy

“Joy is not made to be a crumb.” ~Mary Oliver

Suddenly, everyone’s talking about “joy” — a word that’s typically reserved for holiday greeting cards. When was the last time you felt joy? Joy is unbridled optimism and unabashed positivity, which can be hard to feel if you’re mired in the habit of negative thinking. Dark energy, after all, is both pervasive and contagious. So, who doesn’t want to experience joy for a change?

Mary Oliver’s poetry always resonates. And when a dear friend shared “Don’t Hesitate” in an email last week, the word “joy” jumped off the screen and lifted me from the funk I was in. It was exactly what I needed to read, and I hope it speaks to you, too. ~CL

Don’t Hesitate, by Mary Oliver

If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy,

don’t hesitate. Give in to it.

There are plenty of lives and whole towns destroyed or about

to be. We are not wise, and not very often kind.

And much can never be redeemed.

Still, life has some possibility left.

Perhaps this is its way of fighting back, that sometimes

something happens better than all the riches

or power in the world. It could be anything,

but very likely you notice it in the instant

when love begins. Anyway, that’s often the

case. Anyway, whatever it is, don’t be afraid

of its plenty. Joy is not made to be a crumb.

~From Mary Oliver’s Devotions: Selected Poems