Path to Joy: 10th of 12 – This Moment

Write it on your heart that each day is the best day in the year. โ€“ Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Tenth Path to Joy is โ€œThis Momentโ€ which is, as Francis Bacon said, โ€œsparkling like a star in our hand.โ€ While researching the concept of โ€˜time,โ€™ I found a video on how time travel works. Although revisiting the past or imagining the future can be easier than making the most of the moment, here are reasons to stick with whatโ€™s actually happening, right now:

  1. The present moment is the only one we control
  2. Each moment is a gift [because we donโ€™t know how many we have]
  3. Staying out of the past and future improves mental, physical and emotional health.
  4. Read more.

Although piling up time travel frequent flyer miles can be tempting, here’s help for staying present:

Seek joy and stay safe!

A Path to Joy Art Meditation:ย  #10 This Moment

Find your eternity in each momentย  Henry David Thoreau

What I like best:

The circles contain the numbers one through twelve, as though they are clock faces. Yet they make me think of jellyfish floating forward, effortlessly.

Why I like the image:

I like how the โ€˜jellyfishโ€™ suggest that each second can be experienced in many ways, as time drifts, bounces and rolls forward.

What the picture teaches:

Every second offers many opportunities.

The insights gained:

These words of wisdom make me smile:

  • The future is always beginning now. Mark Strand
  • The art of life is to live in the present moment, and to make that moment as perfect as we can by the realization that we are the instruments and expression of God. Emmet Fox
  • My last defense / Is the present tense. Gwendolyn Brooks
  • The here and now is all we have, and if we play it right it’s all we’ll need. Ann Richards

Each moment can offer chances to love more and know joy. Check out and share this encouraging poem. [If clicking on image doesn’t work, cut & paste this URL in your browser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndGNT243Eds&t=220s]
Note:

These โ€˜Paths to Joyโ€™ are adapted from The Treasure Chest, an old book I found years ago. Page 117 contained “The Twelve Rules of Happiness.” Of special delight is using paints markers and ink to illustrate meditations inspired by this wisdom. The technique is adapted from the book Visual Journaling, Going Deeper Than Words, by Barbara Ganim and Susan Fox.

The Illustrated Wisdom:

For information and to purchase the Paths to Joy art, visit Sandraโ€™s Galleries.

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About Founder
Sandra Gould Ford

Sandra Gould Ford is an author, educator and former steelworker who presents arts experiences to encourage, refresh, enrich creative thinking and inspire. She belongs to the Authorโ€™s Guild and Science Fiction Writers of America and is a former member of the American Society of Media Photographers. For more information, visit her web site: SandraGouldFord.com.

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