"I stopped in at a dance studio to see what they were offering," S said. "And as soon as I hit the door,the boom boom, thump thump took me over. They had a live DJ bumping tunes!"
"The crazy thing is," she looked at the floor. "I didn't know how bad I'd been feeling until I felt that music. The energy was unbelievable. It made me feel like a firework."
"It was amazing." She smiled.
"Joy rising," I said.
She looked at me like I was kookoo.
"Have you seen Oprah's Life Class? Every Friday, she focuses on Joy Rising. The idea is that when real joy comes out, it's palpable. The feeling is euphoria," I said.
"Exactly," she said.
"This could be good for a question." I dug in my purse for a pen and wrote, "Joy rising."
"What elates you?" H added.
"Right!"
I've always been elated by bringing people together. Parties, Sunday night dinners, BBQ's. Any time I can bring people, their ideas and dreams together I feel joy.
But the one time I felt absolute joy rising was on my mother and my stepfather's 20th anniversary. My brother his wife, my stepbrother, his wife and daughter and my stepsister and I planned a surprise weekend for our parents.
We traveled from LA, NJ, Ottawa, and Boston up to Vermont. We met in the tiny village they live in and then began our caravan up the mountain. My sister and I blasted The Scissor Sisters in the car, singing louder and louder as we elevated up the mountain, watching our siblings cars following in the rear view the whole way.
We wailed on car horns, trailing down the driveway. Lights popped on in the house and our parents crept on the porch, not believing what they were seeing.
"We thought we'd stop by to say 'Happy Anniversary,'" I said as I hugged my teary, shaky mom.
We laughed a lot that weekend. We healed a lot that weekend. And we cried a lot that weekend. Tears of joy rising.
When have you felt joy rising?
xoxo,
Suzanne
About Me
- Suzanne Casamento
- Author of Fingerprints, Choosing Tally, and All the Moments in Between. Tweet me @suzannecasamento
I'm working on having little pieces of joy in my every day life...but the last time I REALLY felt joy was when my sister called me to say she was pregnant. I'll be a first time aunty in a month and I'm so excited!
ReplyDeleteOi - just reading that gave me tears of joy, again. :)
ReplyDeleteOne of the most impactful moments of joy rising for me, was totally unexpected, but something I will always remember. My husband and I were trapsing about the UK on vacation, and made an impromptu hike up a 'hill' in Wales to see some ruins. The challenge of the hike, the view, the history, the warm sun, and the company all lead to an amazing gift at the top. It was a spectacular moment shared with the love of my life, an incredible feeling of joy rising.
Ditto! Simply V!! My eyes are filled.
ReplyDeleteSo I need to say that "Joy Rising" is a wonderful phrase that I will keep in my heart and hopefully enjoy from time to time.
Spectacular moments are out there, we just need to be aware and open to them.
Great story, Suz!! I hadn't heard the term "joy rising" but I know exactly what it means as I've felt it before. I've felt it at times as amazing as child birth and often at weddings, and at times as simple as having a summer BBQ at my house seeing everyone enjoying themselves.
ReplyDeleteI'll be looking for "joy rising" every day - thanks for the reminder to do so.
Yep, reading this post brought a little bit of joy rising in me. That was amazing, Suz.
ReplyDeleteI remember feeling a distinct joy rising when I fully committed to my decision to move abroad. I decided to tell work and make that plunge, and with the clarity of that decision, I felt joy rise. Angie
I'm not sure exactly how to use it in a sentence but I think I mean to say "music makes joy rise for me as well". (Does that make sense?) Good music comes on and I feel so happy. Being surrounded by like minded people listening to amazing music is just ... mmm ... an amazing feeling! Moving your body, not caring what people think, they don't either, it's just all about FEELING it! Yeah that's it :)
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