What an amazing time we live in! Today I went to do my routine grocery shopping very early in the morning because the shelves have been getting emptier and emptier. So I picked a new time to shop and there I was face-to-face with the most empty grocery store I’ve ever seen.
In some ways it was like seeing a brand new store before the shelves were filled – kind of cool! But many of those shelves were emptied out of fear,
How might those empty shelves be filled with joy?
- Maybe a little less news and a dance down the paper good aisle?
- Perhaps we will pause from purchasing any more of the things we already have in our many-week supply and look at the light in someone’s eyes who needs those products and happens to find them on the shelf?
- Maybe we could feed ourselves well with a new recipe we concocted from that box of this or that in the back cupboard?
Me? I’ve decided to wait – the grocery stores will restock. Perhaps there are many of us who will find we have enough or even more than enough.
In the meantime, I’m wondering how we might, as individuals and communities, fill any empty shelves we have in our own lives with joy rather than with fear.
Fear often pales in the face of playfulness, maybe we should make ourselves a play date and keep it. Maybe we can change our stories from fear-based to play-based – for a part of a day, for a moment or two – for a breath.
Enjoy the stories and have a playful day,
Mary
PS This is the thirteenth post in my thirty-one day joy challenge. In this moment it is my favorite.
