Wendell Berry writes: “Be joyful, though you have considered all the facts.” Most of the time the facts are not looking too good, which makes it all the more important to find pockets of joy. Starting with gratitude can help.
What brings you joy, even when other things are going wrong?
“Sweet words are like honey, a little may refresh, but too much gluts the stomach.”
― Anne Bradstreet
What qualities of praise make it helpful and welcome, rather than overly sweet?
Life will conspire to make you feel small. If not by grating daily acts of diminishment, then simply by the fact that world in all its glory and horror is so very vast. So you might as well stretch out.
What makes you feel small? What makes you feel large?
“I am grateful for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual. It is surprising how contented one can be with nothing definite ― only a sense of existence…. My breath is sweet to me. O how I laugh when I think of my vague indefinite riches. No run on my bank can drain it, for my wealth is not possession but enjoyment.”
― Henry David Thoreau
What do you count amongst your “vague indefinite riches”?
Working in a group can be an intensely gratifying experience. Sharing ideas, learning and growing from the exchange of different perspectives, giving and getting support—all combine to create an energizing and even inspiring work experience. Except when it really, really doesn’t.
What is something you have learned from working in a group?
