Joy Even Here

 Where is the spark?

Where is the joy?

Where is the wonder that once was?

-

Here.

It can be here.

It is allowed to be right here.

I am allowed to let it be right here.

It is here.

-

Too often, I take long, wistful strolls down my golden-hued memory lane, lingering longingly over memories of past events, accomplishments, and emotions.

And sometimes I get kinda sad. 

"I miss..." I'll say, or, "I wish..." or, "if only..." or, "it's too bad..."

But it isn't.

It isn't too bad.

It is alright. Just alright.

Yes, I may still "miss". I may still "wish". And that's okay-- I am allowed to grieve what used to be but what is no more; I am allowed to remember, with sad fondness, what happiness I have had before.

But I am not allowed to stay staring into the past.

I am not allowed to make a lifestyle of living in the murky, tearstained shadow of my longings, my regrets.

I am allowed to grieve.

I am allowed to miss.

But then I need to move on.

And I am furthermore allowed to find joy even in the present as well. I am allowed to rediscover the beauty of the everyday-- the same beauty that colors my fond memories of the past.

-

All we have is now.

Yesterday is gone; tomorrow is never certain.

And our now, our present moments-- they, eventually, become our past. Our future eventually becomes our past.

So we need to take in the here and now.

We need to be invested in the present.

We need to let go of our rearview mirror longings (beautiful though the past may have been), and we need to remember to keep looking ahead and keep looking around, keep looking up.

For it is only then that we will discover the wonder, the glory, the joy that we continually seek.

And we will realize that even here,

Even now,

Life

Can still be 

Beautiful. 🌿