God designed ordinary life to renew our joy every day.
We often overlook it.
But if we slow down, five simple rhythms energize the soul.
Joy isn’t usually found in dramatic moments.
It’s found in daily rhythms that quietly reshape our hearts.
These five rhythms inspire my days. I think they’ll inspire you.
Joy rhythm #1: Live as if
One of America’s great African American singers, Tom Tipton, lived an extraordinary life of joy.
He gave us the recipe.
Live as if.
In the 1940s, Tom, age 8, worked shining shoes by the U.S. Capitol.
He heard about an Easter Egg Roll for kids on the White House lawn.
When he showed up, the guard said he didn’t belong.
Tom ran home to his mother and told her what happened.
“Junior, don’t worry. Just love everybody. Just be the best shoeshine boy you can be.”
So, Tom, at age 8, learned to live as if.
He ran to the iron fence and said loudly, “One of these days I’ll be back, and I will go inside that big White House, and they will call me Mr. Tipton.”
And they did, over and over again.
He sang in front of presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton and made friends with many leaders who called him “Mr. Tipton.”
Joy rhythm #2: Smell and taste
Every morning, I wake up to a smooth cup of coffee.
Smell and taste.
Not a big deal?
Lose these to any virus, and you realize these are gifts from God.
COVID-19 choked my smell and taste for four weeks in 2019, and I came to appreciate this…
“Mindfulness of the body is awareness of the taste and smell of this moment.”
— Steve Hagen
Enjoy everything you taste and smell every day.
These ordinary gifts help vanquish anxiety.
Joy rhythm #3: Birds
Hummingbirds and vultures live in the desert.
Vultures live off the dead. The past.
But hummingbirds live off blossoms. The present.
Each bird finds what it’s looking for.
And so do we.
Joy comes from the direction we look.
“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”
— Mat. 6: 26-27
I thank my son Jack for giving me a hummingbird feeder.
Now, I enjoy watching hummingbirds doing their rhythms of joy.
They are my daily reminders.
Joy rhythm #4: Floating
Whether bathing or floating, we connect with God’s joy in water.
I love a hot bath as much as floating in a beautiful lake, don’t you?
The Bible refers to water as a metaphor for God’s Spirit.
“On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.’ By this, he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.”
— Jn 7:37-39
Spend time every week around the life-changing effects of water.
Joy rhythm #5: Walking
If there’s one thing that kept me joyful during the first lockdown of 2020, it was walking.
While everyone was freaking about getting infected at the gym, I walked by…
- deer, ducks, and geese at the lake
- oak, cypress, and maple trees in the city
- Eataly, J. Crew, and Warby Parker at the mall
What a joy to move regularly and see so much variety.
This past Christmas, our family made walking a game.
Each of us bought a Fitbit Inspire 2, and the weekly “Blaising Hustle” began.
Every Friday, we see who has more steps.
My kids barely keep up with me. Right kids?
Walking is a great way to exorcise demons. Chase away the worries.
And when the demons are gone, you have more joy.
What daily rhythms remind you to be joyful?
Stories like this are part of the reflections I write about life, resilience, and purpose explored on my About Stephen Blaising page.
Steve, another great–and timely–piece of encouragement. I would suggest broadening Joy Rhythm #5–Walking a bit (even though I agree that walking does us an immense amount of good). I suggest employing the broader term Kinetic Motion. Many find a joy in other forms of movement such as cycling or motorcycling. A classic example is the late Neil Part (drummer for the band RUSH) who found solace in both cycling and motorcycling after the loss of his teenage daughter in a horrific traffic accident and months later the loss of his wife to cancer. Movement brought Neil a form of comfort he couldn’t find anywhere else. Another reason for broadening the concept of movement is that I have friends who are wheelchair bound or have debilitating diseases that have stolen their ability to walk or be mobile. One of the best examples I have come across is the story of Mike Cimbura, an exceptional cyclist, who contracted ALS. Mike’s family contacted Zach Yendra to see if he could build a custom cycle that would safely hold Mike secure while Zach pedaled him up and down the Colorado mountains for the 2017 Death Ride Tour, a charity ride to support the fight against ALS. His story can be found at: https://www.bicycling.com/culture/a19754707/before-als-mike-cimbura-was-a-hell-of-a-cyclistheres-why-he-still-is/
Just be sure to stock up on tissues before you read this amazing account; you’re going to need them.
But another fine piece (as usual). Keep it up!
Fantastic thoughts Doug! Appreciate your reminder of all forms of kinetic movement. Thanks for sharing these. I look forward to reading about Mike. My brother-in-law Dick tragically and quickly became a quadriplegic from doctor and hospital negligence in a routine surgery five years ago. The suffering and loss is incredible. Sure underscores how and what we do with our lives everyday doesn’t it? Great to hear from you.