OK, the edge between gleeful and manic might be a little thin this time of year, but that makes it all the more important to pay attention to the sources of real joy, whether that be a romp in the snow or a gathering with friends.
What makes you giddy with happiness this time of year?
To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour.
—William Blake
What is the most mundane, ordinary thing that you find miraculous?
Expect nothing. Live frugally on surprise.
—Alice Walker
How do you open yourself to surprise?
Does the snow family have their arms up in supplication for cold weather, in resignation to their doom from the sun’s warmth or in rejoicing for the cold, sunny day? No way to tell, really, and they’re not saying.
How is the weather affecting your mood today?
Hanukkah celebrates the miracle of the light that lasts, the sacred lamp that kept burning long after the oil that fueled it should have been gone. This miracle of endurance happens over and over again.
When has the lamp of your own hope or joy or faith kept burning long after it would reasonably gone out?
