This world can be a cruel place, it can become extremely difficult to focus on even the smallest amount of joy when all we’re ever exposed to is the hatred; the sadness; the undeniable heartbreak of what it can mean to be a beautifully broken, but perfectly flawed human.

I often find myself continuously searching for who I’m meant to be and what purpose I should be fulfilling throughout my life journey. It’s within these soul-searching moments that I realize that I’m always longing for all the things in my life that make my heart leaps with joy.

The contagious laughter amongst friends at jokes that don’t make sense to anyone else but us. The excitement that takes over my soul when someone tells me they finally got that dream job or that they finally found the person of their dreams they’ve been searching for. The heartwarming moment when they find out they’re finally being blessed with a small little bundle of joy that they’ve been praying for, or maybe, they finally booked that plane ticket for that lifelong vacation they’ve been planning for. Maybe the waiter accidentally messed up their order and miraculously graced them with 4 drinks instead of 3, or maybe they just spent an entire afternoon cuddling the cutest kitten they’ve ever laid eyes on.

It’s in the “let’s go on an adventure” moments with those closest and dearest to my heart that spark a fire within me that is constantly craving more. More explorations of new places bound to teach me a new way of life. More meetings of new faces just waiting to instill new knowledge into my ever inquisitive mind. More lessons to be learned from our greatest teacher: life. More chances to take, far more mistakes to be made, and even better memories to be created that are sure to transpire into some unforgettable ones.

Amidst all the chaos and confusion, we can allow ourselves to feed into all the bitterness. We can allow ourselves to let others steal our joys. We can allow ourselves to feel defeated. We can allow ourselves to be unhappy and miserable.

Or, we can do the exact opposite. We can allow ourselves to feed into all the joys and happiness that life can offer us. We can be kind. We can treat kindness like it’s confetti and sprinkle it all over the place, no matter where we go. When faced with animosity from others, we can choose to rise above. We can smile and say hi to strangers. We can spread our contagious laughter for everyone to hear. We can live our lives honestly and optimistically simply by choosing to do so. In doing this, the light within shall shine out the darkness out there.

I long to never let myself forget the joys of these precious moments in life. I aspire to hold onto them for as long as I possibly can. All the while remembering that they won’t last forever.

In all the wondrous beauty that this great, big Earth has to offer us, I hope that you can find your joy, whatever it may be, and hold onto it for dear life.

Link to Article on Elephant Journal

©2018 Dina Al-Mahdy All Rights Reserved