Saturday, January 28, 2012

The Joy of Joy

The works of his hands are faithfulness and justice; all his commandments are sure. They stand fast forever and ever, because they are done in truth and equity. Psalm 111

The other day Barb and I were able to take a small break and escape winter’s icy clutches in the Pacific Northwest and visit our son in San Diego, where the temperatures were mostly in the mid 70s. I quietly wondered to myself: why, again, did we leave California?

It was a nice trip; quite uneventful – the kind I like. We visited, we went places and saw things, but mostly we simply enjoyed being with one with whom we regularly speak, but whom we seldom see (except through the miracle of online video-chats).

We don’t travel much by plane anymore, but it seemed to me that checking in and going through security have improved a lot over the years as folks involved in air transportation have continued to find new (and possibly better) ways to move the public from curb to gate with the least amount of inconvenience.

There was one constant, however, that had nothing to do with airline check-in or TSA security; it had to do with an uncanny knack I have for finding the slowest moving lane at every stage of our journey. The queue for check-in had one person in front of us, and it was frozen in both space and time. Other lines with dozens of migrating travelers were processed at lightning speed, while we stood patiently waiting for our turn in the sloth lane.

Then we found ourselves in the TSA’s Glue-lane as the other lines moved along at Grease-speed. We finally made our move to another lane and were processed while those who had been in front of us continued their glacial pace in the queue controlled by an agent I can only assume was processing them in ancient Latin, the language of his birth.

Having had my usual luck in picking lines, I let Barb choose the security lane for our obligatory bag and body screening. She found one that moved quickly, smartly, and efficiently – until the scanner broke down (as soon as our bags entered its maw). Fortunately, they were able to reboot it fairly quickly, so our delay was minimal.

Sometimes it feels like there is a conspiracy afoot to seek, find, and bring out the Grumpy that dwells in each and every one of us (or at least I’ve got one in residence), and yet I have learned to take most things in stride.

Joy and Grumpy are twins, and both have a home in my soul, but the only one who comes out of her room is the one I decide to feed at any given moment of any given day. The Grumpy eats only when I take myself or my situation so seriously that I choose to feed it with crunchy nuggets of negativity.
Having gotten to the airport with plenty of time for virtually any eventuality, the speed of the lines had no power to disturb me. I could relax, smile, and enjoy the three-ring circus going on all around me.

The key to growing Joy is as easy as choosing to feed her. It isn’t a matter of looking at life through rose-colored glasses, for there is plenty of junk that needs to be identified, dealt with, and cleared away. But thinking ahead, making plans, and doing what we can when we can provides a lot of space in which to move, work, and enjoy life.

What does Joy need to sustain her? Patience, kindness, and a loving attitude. Put those in your pocket, and you may well find yourself smiling with Joy the next time you’re stuck in line in this, our world. Have a great week!

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