To Be a Lover of Joy

The incredible Prete Moi Paris was the one who turned my head to Project Optimism, a campaign launched by Anka and two other bloggers. The mission is simple: to stay  positive and start 2013 swallowing a dose of happy. Every Monday would be dedicated to a story of positivity, be it a memory, a moment, whatever that radiates joy, with the hopes that soon enough, this glass-half-full mindset would transpire to every day of the week.

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“To be a lover of joy,” writes Anka.

It sounds so seductive—doesn’t it—to be a lover. Of not just anyone or anything, but of joy. To love with all your being, physical and otherwise, is to be the greatest lover. To love joy! It’s incredible how something so simple could be so magnificent.

I’ll say without hesitation that I’m one of the most optimistic of people out there. A realistic idealist, a dreamer at worst and go-getter at best. I have the utmost faith in humankind when we’re willing to take responsibility, even if it’s just an individual leading the way, and believe greatly in the ability of the Universe to give what deserves to be given. My hippie heart may not be the most apparent given that I’m the last name you’d say in the same sentence as “bubbly” (unless it’s champagne), but here I am. Always optimistic in my realistic idealism. That doesn’t necessarily mean that I’m always happy though, because part of being so emotionally ruled is an inability to be moderate. (Not be be confused with rational: that I can do.) I’m either incredibly happy, or very sad. All or nothing. There’s pros and cons to being so extreme (though I’ve been told that it can be unbecoming when I’m stuck at the bottom end).

Part of 2013—and why I want to take on Project Optimism—is to have more of those happy days. We’re entitled to happiness! Such simple and basic a concept has been twisted and shoved and hidden away. Stop overcomplicating things. Stop thinking (so much). Just be.

Just breathe.

Just be happy.

Be better to myself, kinder to myself, and smile more.

It’s not to say I’m going to be reduced to unicorns and rainbows and sparkles—because that isn’t reality. It’s not a reality I’d like to live either; it’s not a viable source of happiness. I hardly think I’m alone when I say that a large part of what keeps us going is the struggle and challenges we’re presented with in life. I live for that, it’s what fuels my fire.

So no, no glitter-induced psychedelia, no rainbow butterflies, no fairytales. Just a glass half full, waiting to be refilled—and a smile on my face and a song in my heart.

To be a lover of joy. I’ve said before that in my world, words will always be more powerful than a picture. This is the exception; that photo above is my reminder, my first positive thing of this project. It’s not my most photogenic, but it encapsulates everything that I felt in that moment. Happiness. Joy. Excitement. I felt power and beautiful: this is my reminder (and hopefully yours too) to always dance.

“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.”

—Friedrich Nietzsche

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x

Join the revolution with me! Read all about it here.