I was reading an article about jhāna last week, and one of the things it suggested in that type of meditative practice was to access a feeling of joy. The idea was to go back to an experience that brought you joy, and remember what it felt like, and then try to replay that feeling — not the experience that brought it — in your head and body.
Of course, feelings of joy have been a bit thin on the ground lately, so I had to go back in the memory file for a few. As I was going through them, I realized they had something in common. Here’s three of them:
- Rock scrambling and hiking in the cool forests of the Bruce Peninsula
- Watching the tree tops sway in the breeze, after a swim
- Coming out a hot dojo after an hour-long practice, into a cool autumn shower, the smell of petrichor in the air
All of them brought me a sense of euphoria and all of them involved being outdoors after some physical activity.
Obviously, the fact that exercise and fresh air is good for you isn’t a revelation (at least, I hope it’s not). But in a system that works to keep us chronically online and indoors, and a society that constantly tells us that consumption should be the source of joy, it’s easy to forget how wonderful the alternatives can be.
Will getting outside and away from screens make all your troubles go away? Of course not. But it certainly will help restore you, and perhaps re-anchor you. And if there’s anything we all need right now, it’s an antidote to feeling unmoored.
I’m reminded, ironically, of a meme going around online right now that talks about The Parable of the Choir. It goes something like this:
A choir can sing a beautiful note impossibly long because singers can individually drop out to breathe as necessary and the note goes on. Social justice activism should be like that, she said. That’s stuck with me.
So, get outside if you can. Ideally, out of the city, or to a good urban park with trees. Perhaps a beach to listen to the waves. Failing that, outside somehow, even if it’s just to a patch of safe-looking grass with your socks off. Mute the phone. Get a brisk walk or a jog in, if you’re able. If not, sit and watch the treetops sway. Heck, even being still at night, listening to the rhythms of the city might do the trick.
Drop out to breathe.
And grab what joy you can.
Joy, that bubbling feeling that puts power into one’s stride, laugh at a bird who teases a cat. A bowl of mixed fresh fruit and cream. As we get older, we find joy in smaller sizes. A good book and a mug of cappechino Late. Or a thoughtful friend who visits with a bag of my favourite perfume and creamy body lotion. Joy has many faces, that I’ve learned during my military nursing career.A soldier back in the unit after a long struggle with a disease. He made it.
A cancer afflicted patient who had a poor prognosis and beat the disease . Seeing my daughter become a young lady after a long time acting like a Tom boy. Walking on a patch of lush green grass after a rainfall. These are the things I relive on a regular basis and add to my collection
Hey Chandra, it’s Beanie! Hope you remember me. Anyway, I love being outside! Now that I’m retired that’s all I do now is go outside and work on my flowers. They love it and I love them! They grow huge and everybody asks me what I do to get them to grow like that…first I pray when I plant them asking God to give them growth, then I talk to them like they’re my children, I play music for them (they especially like Hawaiian songs), and I give them plenty of water!
I wish I could take a walk in the grass or on the beach like I used to, but a couple of years ago I had a below the knee amputation of my right leg due to a military condition. I’m okay with it, but as you said, take time to go for a walk or a jog! Make time for it, feel the joy!!!!!
Hey Beanie,
I’m so sorry about your less-limb. I almost lost my life in military stuff. I’m sitting outside and it’s 22:31 reading the notes. The wind is blowing after a sizzling day. Promise of rain? I hope. Spiders have found my hide out and sneaking through the windows. I am negotiating a peace treaty with them because they have too many legs and I don’t. But I need to be aware where every bug is before I hit the sack. My flat is too hot inside, even the four dogs who usually bang on the door to announce their strategic maneuver, are avoiding my cozy abode. I watched two men chop down trees in the field next to our house today. It seemed as if the heat had no effect on them. The one man has a friend with a slight mental challenge. Humble and such a hard worker, but his situation is being ignored by his buddy. So I had a long chat to explain the challenges that they need to take in consideration. Over work and dehydration, because of the man trying to please his friend. I assumed he contracted a labour injury to the head when his mom gave birth. We don’t always cherish the fact that both went well for us. Although I was a 9lb bridge baby. Poor Mom. Anyway that’s it from me. Be well and be safe. Blessings
Are you seriously afraid of spiders? They’re my friends because they eat the aphids on my plants! However, I do understand your concern!
I was busily digging (prior to the amputation) to plant several different plants and didn’t pay attention to what was above or below me. I felt this piercing sting and of course I swore! Damn mosquito had the worst bite I’d ever felt!!! She must have sharpened her tongue like you see them do in the cartoons!!! Anyway, I finished planting my flowers surveyed my work and smiled at what I dreamt they would look like in full bloom.
Went into the house got cleaned up, made some food, relaxed to look at my favorite shows on the boob tube. Nothing really good on the TV on this particular night so I decided to go to bed. When I stood up I was so light headed and shaky. I sat down to regroup. Tried standing up again and it was even worse this time! Fortunately I only lived across the street from the VA hospital so I got into my car (I know, dumb move! I could have passed out, killed myself and many others because it was a busy four lane street) and drove myself across the street to the hospital emergency room.
After a few questions and a quick examination of my back the doctor told me that it was a good thing that I had come in. He gave me a shot, a prescription for antibiotics, and told me not to dig around hanging branches in heavily shaded areas and asked me if I had any idea what I’d been bitten by. I told him that I thought it was the hungriest mosquito ever! He said nope try again! I said I know it wasn’t a black widow because I killed her last week. He kinda chuckled and shook his head and said little lady you like to live dangerously don’t you? I told him not really it was in the wood chunks that I use to smoke the meat when I barbecue. I dumped them on the ground instead of sticking my hand into the bag and there she was! I told him I got a stick pin, an empty baby food jar, put alcohol in it, speared the spider in her back, and put the top on the jar!
I asked so what bit me? After a long pause, he finally said, it was a brown recluse and you’re fortunate that you came in before you were left with serious damage.
I left the hospital feeling extremely blessed, weak, and ready to get into my bed!
Therefore Chandra, do steer clear of those eight legged critters unless they’re eating aphids off your plants Sweetie!
Take care and continue to be a blessing to all who you come in contact with!!
Beanie
Aah Beanie, thank God you survived. I never really had a phobia concerning spiders, infact, there was always a stray critter joining me in my oversized sleeping bag during Pre deployment. As long it remained down there, and with my uniform on and super tired, who cares? That was until I noticed the size of thriving bird-catching spideys in the rain forest. I’m sure they have a hidden stach of steroids. As big as a man’s hand, spinning webs between two tree tops, way up high. I love insects and even had a praying mantis sitting on my arm. The size? Head to end of its body fit from my wrist to my elbow.
Now I am so careful not to stick my hand into a bush..This ex soldier has her limits in bravery.
Happy gardening.
I love reading about your adventures! They’re so refreshing and take me back to my days in the military! Although I didn’t do the jungle adventures as you did, I remember trekking the mountainous terrain of Scotland in a roundabout way so that no one would follow us to a Native American’s suicide pyre.
We didn’t want anyone to know where it was because we didn’t need locals or military personnel wanting to build monuments/tributes to his place of death because there was conflict surrounding it.
He had been accused by his girlfriend, a Scottish National, of beating her up pretty badly and was headed for prison. However, most said that her ex-boyfriend was the one who had beaten her up because she was dating an American and said that if she told anyone that he had done it he would beat her again. The Native American was heartbroken and ashamed that his family would not get the truth about the incident and chose to die in “bravery” as he put it. It was so sad and his parents did get his letter. It was fortunate that he didn’t set the pyre on fire because he would have set the entire forest on fire!!! That was one undercover photo assignment that I regretted because I’m sure I hiked at least five miles of rugged mountain terrain that day!!!
There were many other assignments that I thoroughly enjoyed and many that I didn’t, but for the most part I had a most memorable ten years! I would have wanted to do more, however, health issues prevented them. I miss those years just as I’m sure you do!
It was a different style of life, one that civilians don’t really understand! I must say here though just to clarify, I gave up my rights to utilize the constitution, not my rights to femininity! Civilians always get that part mixed up, but we didn’t have to give up our feminism to go into the military! Once we completed boot camp we could grow our hair as long as we wanted to as long as we kept it pinned up above our collars (with barrettes or Bobby pins). I put that in parentheses because if I lost mine, I would use coffee stir sticks or whatever I could find!!!
I was always getting called out for that!!! I even got threatened by one of my bosses that she was going to have her brother, who was a hairstylist, come into the photo lab and cut my hair while I was on duty! That was encouragement enough for me to buy extra hair accessories and keep them in my locker!!!
Another thing that I would get caught without was wearing that proverbial cover!!! I despised having to put it on if I was just running out to my car to get something and it never failed that this one boss that harangued me about the hair always stood in the glass doors when I was running back in without my cover!!! She would stand there laughing because she knew I had run out without it! Her office was at the opposite end of the building, so I don’t know how she always caught me!!! One time I said I’ll fix her!! I spread my fingers wide and placed my hand atop my head and walked right into the door. I looked at her and said I was covered and walked past her.
She started laughing so hard that she fell onto the floor!!! Everyone came running asking me what I had done to her because they thought that she was hurt and didn’t hear that she was laughing and crying they just saw that she was on the floor! I turned around to look at her and saw that she was laughing and crying and said to her, “GOTCHA!!!”. She said you little shit you sure did!!!! Everyone just looked at us as though we were crazy. Then she yelled isn’t anybody gonna help me get up off this damn floor???
That was it!!! We got the rest of the day off. Everybody told me that they didn’t know what stunt I’d pulled this time, but keep up the good work!
They despised me because I could operate every piece of equipment in the lab and had been there for less than a year and in the Navy less than two years, but enjoyed my escapades that worked out incredibly for everyone!!! That’s it for now, but I’ll continue next time when I tell you about this young one that we had that nearly burned our photo lab down when I volunteered to go on a ship! It was hilarious!!!
Hi guys,
Chandra and Beanie, your words are so uplifting and precious. I am so grayfir this site. One of the best platforms to share without being judged or criticised. Thank you. There were times in my nursing career the military I never want to experience again. Tragic loss of young lives in both careers. It was a extremely difficult time to get to terms with the sadness and a hundred unanswered questions. But we won’t go there in this chat. I agree, getting outside as early as possible to join in nature waking up to a new symphony, has been my “high” for as long as can remember. Edwina, you were mentioning the Native American man in your post, which reminded me of my younger days spent with my brother. Cowboys and Indians. Obviously I was the latter carecter. My invisible playmate was an Indian Chief I named Ruarq. I have no explanation why that name. It didn’t matter.
My compassion had always been with indigenous tribes. So when I joined the Army, I made friends as far as possible. Which was frowned upon at times. I ignored it, because those very brave Congolese tribes only wanted peace and to share with us.
Let’s keep this topic going and share our hazardous experiences we can laugh about today. . And you are correct in your experience about civilian ideas of bowing to label girls in the army. Well my Lieutenant colonel forced each female to wear makeup. No excuses. Hairdos had another painfully process, especially when I reached the jungle with my very blond hair and being a white girl. Witchdoctor’s wanted me for some less healthy goal. That’s another story.
Be well you two and thank you again for the awesome posts.