Returning to JOY

   

    One of the 19 Relationship Skills taught by Chris and Jen Coursey and Kitty Wilder is "returning to JOY from the big 6 emotions." One of those emotions is sadness. In the week-long training last summer, I was a bit confused about what that meant.

        Kitty explained that it is about a loss of something. I had a hard time distinguishing between sadness and grief. They seemed so connected, and how in the world did I return to JOY quickly from grief? I asked that question, and the answer was about intensity...sadness is more about
disappointment of expectations. Grief is like an attachment pain; we've somehow been torn apart.

        This morning I understood again about returning to JOY from sadness. 

        Last night I was knitting and saw some flashing lights in the cul-de-sac. At first I wondered if it was an EMT truck to help my neighbor. I texted her, and she informed me that the city was plowing the cul-de-sac. I was so excited.

        This morning after sitting with my journal and Jesus, I went to open the garage door, excited to see the street in front of my home plowed. I don't live on the cul-de-sac, and our street was not plowed. My shoulders slumped, and I thought, "Oh bummer." 

        But I quickly returned to "oh well, they are doing the best they can do---they're dealing with downed trees and a zillion other things. They will get to our street!"

        The 19 Relationship Skills must be practiced if we are going to be able to recover our JOY quickly and let go of temporary setbacks. It doesn't mean we ignore our feelings. It means we can avoid allowing our feelings to destroy our peace.

        How are you doing with JOY today?