The Palette of Joy
I stopped at the lake this afternoon to see how autumn’s grand painting was coming along. It’s a Great Work she’s producing, her Magnum Opus of the year. It doesn’t happen all at once.
Beginning with a sea of green, she paints a leaf, the tip of a branch, a tree, its neighbors, a forest. From her rich and varied palette, she dabs a bit of crimson, of burgundy, a touch of yellow, a sweep of a gold, a swath of scarlet, a ribbon of rust. And then, when you look again, the whole world is ablaze with her glorious creation.
No, it doesn’t happen over night. Autumn’s transition is one of gradual progress, performed with unrelenting passion. And when you think about it, that’s the way all masterworks come to be. A note at a time, one stitch, one step, one stroke of a brush, one word.
If you’re seeking to create a masterpiece of joy, your palette is every bit as rich and varied as autumn’s. It’s composed of savoring and awe, of humor and fun, of sharing good new and good times. You transition to it, like autumn, by making gradual progress with unrelenting passion. You paint your world with smiles, with gratitude and appreciation. You dapple it with laughter and with deep strokes of forgiveness. You spice it with humor and play.
The transition to a life of flourishing joy doesn’t happen over night. You transform a section of it here with serenity, a branch over there with hope and pride. You drape bands of integrity and optimism as you go, and use your broadest brush to color your world with love.
And if, like autumn, you keep going through nights of frost and days of rain, one day, when you look again, you will discover the transition is complete, and your whole world is ablaze with the gladness of your creation.
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