GIVE me a J.S.I.T. and what do you have?

Many of my musings seem to gurgle up during my morning meditations. I refer to this as "clarity harvests." One morning as I was minding my breath and attempting to keep the vritties* away, I was aware of a soft thought in my head. (I need to have a commercial break here ~ as I assure you I'm not schizophrenic. I believe meditation gives the inner-self a direct connection to the mind.)

What I heard was... "If you want to do one thing in your life really well... let it be JOY. Be a J.S.I.T. ~ a Joyous Savant In Training."

As you can tell my insights are often light-hearted which makes me pay attention and want to explore the possibilities they offer.

Now being a joyful person is quite an interesting enterprise especially when living in this world with an endless daily supply of unexplainable wackiness. The first thing I decided as I explored this Joyful Path was not to have television channeling it's energy into my home. I thought and now know the chatter from the screen interferes with my peacefulness.

Then I started introducing myself to everyone I met as a J.S.I.T. and would describe the virtual, beannie cap topped with a propeller that I wore on my head. The spinner would actually spin wildly whenever I felt joy. It was a great learning tool for me to be more conscious of joyfulness.

I also know balance is important and that I need to feel and acknowledge my emotions but not allow them to cement me in.

So, the next time you pass a smiling person on the street don't be surprise if you feel a gentle breeze emanating from their head.

*Vritties are what my teacher Sri Swami Satchidananda described as the "constant stream of thoughts passing through the mind. The vritties are like a drunken, chattering monkey, bitten by a scorpion as it's driving the car." Swamiji was a major "J". Click here to meet Sri Swami Satchidananda.