This weekend I will be joyful

(Image is from the Joyful Voices of Inspiration, a gospel choir from Massachusetts. I've said this before, but even though I am not a Christian, I really love the sound and the feelings that gospel music produces. The feeling fits with this post.)

Hey, I've tried to focus on good and right behavior before: tact, friendliness, and humility (humbleness?) have come and gone with varying degrees of success (or in the case of tact, failure.)

This weekend, I decided that doing the obvious, considering the time of year, makes a lot of sense. So this weekend, I will be joyful. So much is contained in the word joy.

Joy is that inner sense of happiness, contentment, right-feeling, lovingness and lovableness. Being joyful means that I will tap into those feelings, that I really do have (I'm not faking anything here) and attacking life with the energy and emotion that comes from them.

But maybe I'm cheating because I'm taking the day off from work...

Nah. I've got things to do. No lazing around the television or burrowing into a book for me today. I've got shopping to do. I've got to reorg my sock drawer again (I have far too many for only two feet.) It's cold and foggy outside. There's little chores to be done. I just need to tap those positive feelings and stay joyful.

The real test, though, comes when something bad happens. Like, say, I get a flat tire on my Honda.

(Oh, that's right, I haven't told you about my 05 Honda Accord Hybrid. Lovely car. Lots of power, roomy, comfortable, all the bells and whistles, navigation, XM...except...get this...I didn't notice when I bought it because I, like you, would take this for granted...it does not have a...this is embarrassing...it does not have a spare tire. Nothing. Not even one of those fake hard rubber ones. Don't think I don't think about that when setting out on a long trip, at night, in the rain.)

So, when I get a flat tire in the Honda, will I be joyful? Well, that won't be the emotion that I lead with, but I should be able to remain positive and upbeat. I'll need to call someone...Honda roadside assistance comes to mind. I'll have the opportunity to be still and think about the trade off of a hybrid versus having a spare tire. Mostly, though, I'll be happy enough and smart enough not to let the inconvenience of the problem ruin my day and my feelings.

I will tell you that this particular condition makes me sensitive about checking things like treadwear and tire pressure.

Being joyful is about appreciation of what you have and who you are. It's about feeling the sadness and the unhappiness over something and then letting it go. It's about understanding that what happens to us, good or bad, is an opportunity for personal growth. Hey, if you have to do an unpleasant task, at least have the decency to tackle the task with joy. Doing it with negative feelings really harms no one but you.

Let's see how I hold up this weekend.