High on Happiness

Posts Tagged ‘Enthusiasm’

The enthusiasm that burned within them was not the giddy vivacity of youth.  No, this was far deeper and steadier than that, a holy will that burned with the desire to sculpt a perfect, living form, for beauty’s sake.  That, alone, was their reason for being, and it drove them.

Yet neither the design nor the rendering were theirs. Their art was to surrender to the Maker’s hand. And their glory was that they did so flawlessly,

Spring was in deep ecstasy now, completely surrendered to her love of color.  She dipped into the farthest edges of her palette and swept the flowers with exotic combinations of hues.

The plants were fully rooted, the days stretching toward their full length.  The intensity of spring’s passion was a perfect prelude for the coming heat of summer, and all the world reveled in her flaming delight.

It was all part of the grand plan, of course.  Her blazing enthusiasm was meant to be.  And because she gave herself to the great Yes with such fervor and such ardent affection, her part of the plan was clearly revealed to her as unquenchable desire, and she followed its call with rapture and untold joy.

It’s the ultimate joy juice, the lever that lifts the world.  It’s the liquid cascading from the fountain of youth, the persuader par excellence.  It pushes the train up the mountain and hurls rockets to the stars.  It’s the irresistible surge of will, the fire of genius and success.  It powers through obstacles and leaps over walls.  Few things can stand in its way.

It’s happiness, raw from the source, surging untainted from the soul.  It awakens and empowers.  It arouses and sustains.  It pushes the strong to the front and pulls the weak in its wake, all for the sake of its passion and joy.

Enthusiasm is the zest in the orange, the gleam in the eye, the handshake of fortune.  It appeals and compels.  It makes masters from the mediocre and pulls possibilities from empty bags.  It’s the magical aspect of happiness, set loose and soaring.  Unleash it and you’ll never be the same.

Give me an H!  Give me an A!
Give me a P-P-Y!
Let it rip!  Let it soar!
‘Til it fills the whole sky!

Let its spirit infuse you,
With ardor and with zeal,
Inspiring and uplifting
‘Til its joy is all you feel.

Let its animating influence
Start your every day,
And the genius of its gladness
Shine its light upon your way.

May its beneficial grace
Fill your body, heart and mind
And pour out from your being
‘Til its spreads to all mankind.

Give me an H!  Give me an A!
Give me a P-P-Y!
Let it rip!  Let it soar!
‘Til it fills the whole sky!

“Happiness,” says children’s author E. L. Konigburg, “is excitement that has found a settling down place.  But there is always a little corner that keeps flapping.”

How I love that image – “a little corner that keeps flapping.”  Pull that corner up, and there’s excitement all over again, just waiting to bubble up and fill you with enthusiasm.

Happiness, after all, is the juice of life.  And while it does have to settle somewhat just so we can get on with things, you can’t hold it in forever.  It’s enthusiastic by nature.  It’s filled with spirit and zest.

Even when it smoothes itself into its mellower forms—satisfaction, savoring, awe—it has a passion and dynamism about it.  It can purr and it can hum.  But let it loose in its purest form and it’s trumpets and tympanis and thousand-voiced choirs singing from the heart of every nook and cranny of being.

At its core, it’s a kick-your-heels kind of energy.  It’s hearty and rich, keen and intent.  It’s full of fun and fascination.  It makes you want to move, to dance, to laugh, to sing, to embrace, to holler a Yes so big it will echo back from all creation.  It comes on you like an exuberant sunrise, spilling every hue of the rainbow all over your mind’s sky and sparkling it with stars to boot.

Okay.  We don’t get it full force very often.  How would we stand it!  But if you listen very closely, you can always hear it bubbling away.  It’s underneath everything.  Lift up a corner and see.