Surprised By Joy

This morning, while walking in the park, I thought of the C.S. Lewis book entitled Surprised By Joy as well as the writings of Brother David Steindl-Rast, OSB on the topic of gratitude.  I like the title of the C.S. Lewis book and I love the experience of being surprised by joy.  Brother David, who is a Benedictine monk, has spent a lifetime encouraging people to live with grateful hearts.

Today is not only a good day, it is a beautiful day.  It is a warm day but not hot and there is no humidity.  After a good nights sleep, followed by some granola and coffee, I drove to the park.  The park I normally visit is a jewel.  It is only a few miles from my home and a great place for an old man to take his walks.  After many spring rains, with more to come this week, the vegetation is in full bloom and the streams are flowing strongly.  Ducks and geese are everywhere.

As I was walking this morning, lost in the moment, I felt profoundly grateful and somewhat surprised by joy.  First of all, I am grateful to be alive.  I am 68 years old and in relatively good health.  Everyone doesn’t get to be 68 years old and many have health issues far more serious than mine.  In addition to being grateful for life, I am grateful to be retired.  I worked many years to get to this point but I realize that many people will never get to retire and they may be forced to work until they die.  I am not a wealthy man but I made a concerted effort to save and invest my money so I would be ready when this time of my life rolled around.  As of this week my wife now joins me on the retirement journey.  As a retired man I can walk in the park on a Tuesday morning when most people are in the office dreaming of having my life.

On a side note, as a retired man, I can also drive to my son’s house in the middle of a day to feed his cats while he is out of town.

After walking in the park and feeding my son’s cats, I came home and had a leisurely lunch.  Now, I write these thoughts in my home office as music plays in the background.  Of course, now that my wife is also retired, I will not be surprised to have her tell me to turn down the volume level.  I love the quietness of the park but I also love rock and roll music.

Let me end by encouraging you to be on the lookout for unexpected joy.  I can assure you that your chances of being surprised by joy will increase exponentially if you live with a grateful heart.  None of this has to wait until you are retired.  It may be a little easier in the leisurely life but it is not a requirement.