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Create Harmony
This is a podcast about setting an intentional rhythm, savoring life’s blessings and learning how to use our imagination as a way of listening to God. If you want to learn more about how to bring stillness and gratitude into your life you’ll probably find a lot here that you love. To find out more about what's going on in the Create Harmony world, check out www.mycreateharmony.com.
Create Harmony
When you choose joy, you change the world around you.
What if choosing joy could be your most radical act of resistance in a world fixated on fear and negativity? Sally Burlington invites us to reimagine our relationship with joy as something far more powerful than a fleeting emotion—it's a transformative force capable of changing not just our personal experience, but the experiences of everyone around us.
Through a captivating thought experiment, Sally reveals how our daily choices to embrace gratitude and positivity create ripple effects extending far beyond us. That morning cup of coffee savored with intention might give you the energy to help a neighbor, whose children then bring that lightness to their classroom, influencing their teacher's day, who then enjoys an evening walk where a chance encounter with a puppy sparks renewed joy for its owners. These interconnected moments of positivity offer a compelling alternative to the doom-scrolling narrative that often dominates our attention.
The episode provides ten practical, accessible ways to incorporate more joy into your daily rhythms, from gratitude practices and creative pursuits to mindfulness techniques and simple acts of kindness. Sally shares personal examples from her own life—taking up embroidery to reduce screen time, preparing colorful vegetables as an act of self-care, and turning chores into playful challenges—demonstrating that resistance through joy doesn't require grand gestures, just intentional presence. As Maya Angelou wisely advised, "Continue to astonish a mean world with your acts of kindness." By choosing joy as your act of resistance, you become part of creating a more harmonious world, one ripple at a time. What positive ripple will you start today?
To learn more, go to mycreateharmony.com
Welcome back to Create Harmony. So this is a podcast about setting an intentional rhythm. It's about savoring all of our blessings in life, and it's about learning how to use our imagination as a way of listening to God. If you want to learn more about how you can bring stillness and gratitude into your life, you're probably going to find a lot here that you love. And if you like to be creative and like to be fun, there is a place for you here as well. So in this place, we'll take a few minutes to celebrate everyday joys and remind ourselves how to notice goodness all around us. This is episode 121, and I am your host, sally Burlington. So today we're going to discuss how we can use the pursuit of joy as an act of resistance.
Speaker 1:So in this world right now, it feels like there's this chaotic and conflict-driven narrative everywhere that there's a lot of focus on negativity, on despair, on disconnection. It seems like that that's really the narrative. That's pretty pervasive. It says that this world is a scary and awful place and that it is getting worse by the minute. And no matter which side of the political aisle you're on, you can find the idea that we need to be afraid floating around. It seems like it's the end of the world as we know it, and this narrative based in fear is forcing us to become accustomed to focusing all of our attention on what is scary and the what ifs that are ahead. And there are certainly a lot of things in this world that are concerning and scary. There's poverty, there's oppression, there's war, just to name a few. There are many, many people all over the world who are suffering, and this conversation is not a suggestion that we turn a blind eye to their difficulties.
Speaker 1:But today I'm going to raise a different what if? What if focusing all our attention on fear and threats becomes our downfall? What if the energy behind this fear narrative is dangerous to our minds and dangerous to our future? And what if forming new habits is the path to all of our thriving? So let me give you an example of what I mean.
Speaker 1:What if, next week, I wake up one morning and I use my gratitude practices to notice and give thanks for my first cup of coffee and my healthy breakfast, and I just get my day started off well, healthy breakfast, and I just get my day started off well. And then what if I go to my neighbor's house, my family, friends and help them walk their kids to school, because their dad is having cancer treatment. And I've been helping them get to school every morning. And what if I show up there because I practice gratitude, happy and smiling. And then what if my happy energy makes those two little girls that I'm walking to school feel lighter and calmer and less stressful during this difficult time in their family's home? And what if, because they felt calmer on the way to school, they're able to pay attention better in class and they make better choices throughout the day in the classroom? And then what if that helps the teacher be able to teach the material to the whole class and helps the teacher have a more pleasant day? And then what if, because she had a more pleasant day, she isn't as exhausted when she gets home to her own family and therefore, after they have dinner, they go out for a walk in their neighborhood. And what if, because they went on that walk in their neighborhood, they run into some friends who just got a new puppy, and the puppy is adorable and so happy. And when the puppy sees them, they have this gleeful moment together greeting the puppy. And then what if the people with the puppy remember why they got a puppy in the first place and they don't feel so aggravated by all the energy it takes to train a puppy. And then, because they're not as aggravated, they get up in the morning and they feel happy about their first cup of coffee and the whole new ripple of positive energy starts again the next day.
Speaker 1:Now let's think about this for a moment. I could have told you that same story and had every character's experience be negative and full of struggle. I could have drawn your eye towards the parts that were overwhelming, and the thing about that is the same ripple effect would have happened, except everyone in the story would be feeling bad. Joy is a powerful force. It can uplift you, not only your spirits the spirits you have but those around you. It can foster a sense of community. It can foster shared positivity.
Speaker 1:By cultivating joy, we are also cultivating resilience, which then helps us navigate those ups and downs better. Resilient people are able to bounce back from adversity, and joy is really crucial in this process. Joy can be found in the most unexpected places. You can find it in the laughter of a child, in going out in nature. Sometimes you find joy just in a moment of quiet reflection. It's all about being present and fully experiencing the wonder and richness of life. So for today, as an act of resistance, we're going to focus on 10 practical ways to incorporate more joy into your routines. These are things that we talk about all the time, so there's going to be some repetition here, but it's just a reminder.
Speaker 1:You want to weave this into your life and while I'm sharing this list, I'm going to share a few examples. You want to weave this into your life and while I'm sharing this list, I'm going to share a few examples of how these things work in my life. So, number one practice gratitude. Start your day and end your day by coming up with things you're grateful for. Just like in my story, I can look at my cup of coffee and my healthy breakfast and give thanks for that, and this simple exercise shifts your focus from what's lacking to what's abundant in your life, and that fosters a sense of contentment and joy.
Speaker 1:Number two engage in creative activities. So you need to find things that spark your own creativity. Even if you're not considering yourself to be a creative person, you can always do things differently. Maybe you like writing, painting, dancing, a musical instrument there's all sorts of different ways to express your creativity in life. So my an example for my life is my newest endeavor is embroidery. So I'm now, you know, the old woman doing embroidery so what? But the reason I'm doing it is because when we watch TV at night, I noticed that I was tending to also look at my phone, especially if it was something that my husband was maybe a little bit more interested in watching than I was, or if something got really, really stressful in the show, I would pick up my phone and play a game, and I mean, there's nothing like adding a second screen when you're already looking at one screen. So, anyway, I wanted to be on my phone a little bit less, but I wanted to have something that I did with my hands. So I've been trying this new embroidery craft. I ordered like a kit and I'm still learning it, but I really like it. So that's my exercise in creativity for right now.
Speaker 1:Number three spend time in nature. This is something we talk about all the time. You can take a daily walk, you could go to a park, you can do this even no matter what the season is, but right now we're in the season of spring, so it's even better to be outside in nature. It has a soothing effect. You can do something like going in the forest, forest bathing and breathing fresh air. Just getting outside will lift your spirits and bring you towards more joy. Number four connect with loved ones. However you define loved ones, these could be friends, they can be family, maybe it's your church family. Finding meaningful conversations and shared experiences really enhance your sense of joy and belonging. So connecting with loved ones is important.
Speaker 1:Number five mindfulness or meditation. You can dedicate just a few minutes each day to this. It can be either quiet, reflection, prayer, meditation. I choose a combination of all these. I am a regular meditator, but sometimes my mind feels just a little bit too busy for this. So if I don't feel like I can sit quietly, then I maybe will choose something like a movement, meditation, like walking or yoga, or I've told you before that I use my jigsaw puzzles as a time to sort of quiet my mind. So it helps you appreciate the here and now and your own, enhancing your ability to find joy in the present moment when you do that.
Speaker 1:Number six acts of kindness. So you want to perform some small act of kindness for others, such as, like in my story, helping a neighbor or maybe volunteering. Sometimes just a smile can be an act of kindness and it might create a ripple effect. Each time you smile at someone, just picture that smile creating a ripple in their lives and all the lives that they touch throughout their day. Number six be playful. Adopting an attitude of play can really change the spirit that you bring to something, and sometimes I like to do this when, if it's something that I don't enjoy, if I have a chore that I dread, I try to think to myself is there a way that I can reframe it into play? Like, if I'm going to empty the dishwasher, can I? You know how fast can I do the bottom drawer or how neatly can I arrange things in there? And I know that's super nerdy, but just brings a little bit more of a lighthearted attitude to something that is kind of like drudgery. So just be playful.
Speaker 1:Number eight laugh often. Surround yourself with humor. You can watch a funny movie, you can read a funny book. Spend time with people who make you laugh. Laughter is a powerful way to boost your mood and spread joy. So and another part of this is not just laughing, often it's also noticing the laughter. So my college age children send me funny videos, sometimes things they found on social media. We all trade funny videos. I'm sure you do that with your loved ones as well, and those and they make me laugh. But noticing that it made me chuckle rather than just simply strolling on to the next thing can enhance more joy. So laugh often.
Speaker 1:Number nine celebrate small wins. So this is the process of acknowledging and celebrating your accomplishments, no matter how small they are. And I've talked before about how I often write down a done list and this is like a thing, a list of things that I have done, and that makes the list of things that I have left to do seem a little less daunting, because then I can look back and say like, oh gosh, look what I've got accomplished. And that gives me energy to go on to the next list of projects. And number 10, self care. You need to prioritize self care by taking care of your physical being, your emotional being and your mental well-being. So I've really added a new self-care routine to my life. So I'll give you that example. I got this new storage container and I've been cutting up fresh veggies. When you know, when we get our groceries, I take just a few extra minutes to cut up the fresh veggies and fill that storage container. And what I found? If? If the stuff is already cut up, then I'll be more likely to eat it, I'll add more to salads or soups or whatever. It's just there for me. So that is an act of self care for me and it just brings me joy when I see those colorful veggies all cut up in there and get ready to eat them. So that's our list of 10 ideas for getting more ways to find joy into your rhythm and some of the examples that I use as well For our closing today.
Speaker 1:I'm going to leave you with a quote from the poet Maya Angelou, and hopefully this will be a source of peace and joy for you, and it goes like this this my wish for you is that you continue. Continue to be who and how you are, to astonish a mean world with your acts of kindness. Continue to allow humor to lighten the burden of your tender heart. Thanks so much for joining us today as we considered how we could use joy as an act of resistance, and I hope that you will start the ripple effects of joy all around you in your life and let those ripple out to all the others that you come in contact with, and I hope you will also come back next week for more conversations about how to lift your spirit and raise your well-being. And until next time, peace, thank you.
