Affirmation: “Joy is all around me, and I celebrate it all.”
Allegria, joie, júbilo—so many ways to say joy! Joy is bursting all over the world, all the time. In every country there is joy. It may be small, personal joys of family or huge, joyful festivals of community. We live in a primarily benevolent world filled with billions of people trying to find happiness. Bliss is something universal that everyone wants. And it is everywhere. Start looking for it.
Exercise: Bliss and Joy Surround You
In order to notice that joy is all around us and all around the world, we will observe and record it. Keep a little joy notebook for three days. Take it with you and make a point each day to notice people and accomplish the mission of seeing or hearing people experiencing joy. Record these incidences in your notebook by describing them or drawing them. By actively seeking it out, you’ll begin to see joy all around you!
Search your local area for opportunities for joy through community. You can do an Internet search for your state and the word “celebrations” or “festivals.” Sometimes if you include the words “children,” “music,” or “art” in your search, you will find some great day trips. Below you will see a list of joyful gatherings. Maybe you live near one of them. If not, let this list hearten you, because happiness is happening all over the planet. Find some near you.
Here are some examples of joyful gatherings and ways people celebrate the idea of joy all over the world:
• Agitagueda Art Festival, in which hundreds of colorful umbrellas hang over the streets, in Portugal
• Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, a celebration of color and hot-air balloons
• Electric Forest Music Festival, with its colorfully lit-up trees, in Rothbury, Michigan
• Holi Festival, celebrating colors and joy, in India in March
• La Tomatina, an August festival of exuberant tomato throwing, in Buñol, Spain
• Lantern festivals, usually in February or March, in Asia
• Mango Madness Festival and Night of 1,000 Mangos on the island of St. Lucia
• Misty Bliss Festival in Jamaica
• O+ Festival, which celebrates art, music, and wellness, in Kingston, New York,
• Sizdahbedar, a day joyfully spent outdoors with family, in Iran
• Fairy and Human Relations Congress in Twisp, Washington
• Maryland Faerie Festival
• White Nights Festival, a winter festival of the midnight sun, in Saint Petersburg, Russia
• Wild Amelia Nature Festival on Amelia Island, Florida
• World Science Festival, with learning and science for all ages, in New York City
Celebrate joy and bliss today, and know that you are not alone. All around the world, people want to be joyful, feel love, and care for each other and our planet. Embrace all cultures, all flavors, all the beauty, and all the bliss this world has to offer. Share your joy.
All around the world, people are exuberantly laughing right now. #joyfulliving101