The Plot To Steal Joy: Day 1
I saw a man in his fifties, grey haired at the side, walking with a plate of pastry towards his wife, all smiles. I instantly felt his joy and his love for his wife of I assume, some 20 something, 30 years. It’s strange but there and then I thought, what if I could be like him, joyful at all times? What if I could control my response to people and circumstances? What if I let no one or circumstance steal my joy? What if I let inner joy rule my life? I know it’s possible to resolve something and accomplish it because I’ve experienced it firsthand. I had just successfully completed a 21-day coffee fast with no hiccups or relapse. I’m beyond my fast now and still I have no craving for what was once my favorite comfort in the world. If I could do it with coffee, I could do it with my inner life. So henceforth begins my journey. Follow my daily updates on The Plot To Steal Joy right here.
Pic: Cairngorms National Park in northeast Scotland. It is the largest national park in the British Isles (the British Isles consists of Great Britain, Ireland, Wales, Scotland and over six thousand smaller isles)
Day 1 Unfolds:
A woman looking for a place to rent called me. She had been looking at many advertisements and didn’t know which house she was calling about. She asked me questions she should have ready answers to before calling me: where is it located, how many bedrooms, how much is it renting for. Patiently I provided her with the information. When I told her my criteria in a prospective tenant (good credit score), I heard a click on the end of the line. She had hung up on me. She mustn’t have good credit score else she wouldn’t have hung up on me. No I don’t think she meant to be rude; rather I assumed she must have been disappointed many times over by the same requirement from prospective landlords and I could be her last straw that broke her back. It doesn’t feel good to be hung up on, but seeing things from her perspective enabled me to understand her situation, take control of my response and exercise grace. My inner joy is intact.