Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness

Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness by Ingrid Fetell Lee             Audio Book:  9.5 hours    Hardback Book:  368 pages       

TED speaker and designer,  Ingrid Fetell Lee, has made a study on the things in life that bring us joy from the simple, seeing or holding a balloon to the sublime being in New Mexico and counting all the colors in a sunset.    She has researched what it is about bubbles that make humans smile when they see them, or why we flock to see cherry blossoms blooming so much so  that we throw festivals to celebrate them.     What is it about babies, even baby animals that make us want to talk baby talk and kiss and snuggle them?    In her design business she has learned the power of confetti to make everything just a little more festive or how sprinkles on top of ice cream makes us all feel like a kid again and make kids gleefully happy.    She talks about learning through meditating how to tap into that joyful force within each of us.    Feel the calm that comes from meditation and notice the small things because while joy can come in big loud ways it can also be found in the ocean sound found in a shell washed up on the beach,  in the eyes of a child, in the purr of a cat or kitten wanting nothing more than to be close.   In the immence night sky filled with stars and planets or in the comfort of being with the one you love when your joy at being together transcends space, time and talk and all you need is the oneness you share.     She talks about how the world can feel overwhelming but the gentle sound of water flowing over rocks in a creek bed can still the noise to make it music.   Think how happy it is to hear birds sing.    They sing first thing in the morning and this is such a delightful greeting to the new day a oneness with all that is in nature and returns us to that pre-civilization time when man foraged for his existence, the peace of knowing all you need is at hand if you will still your mind long enough to grasp the extraordinary wisdom of acquiring what you need.   Still your mind and you will still your life.   In this ever advancing age of technology our minds are kept on a fast-track treadmill in what I call sensory overstimulation.   Technology and instant communication to anyone in the world at any time of the day or night where we can share a picture of what we had for lunch, facetime with our besties, download the latest film, book, game all while listening to our latest playlist and being bombarded with more ads, profiling of our likes as to what sites we visit most often and shopping habits all while chugging cups of coffee.   Its like our minds are running a marathon and our eyes are bouncing around keeping up with all we are seeing, we are dancing as fast as we can in this hyper race to acquire all we can so the one with the most stuff wins at the end – or so we are led to believe.    But no matter how much faster the pace of life gets, it is still enjoyable to smell newly mowed grass, get into a bed with clean sheets for that awwwww feeling.    The coolness of pressing our check against a frosted window pain when we are inside in the warm with a hot cup of chocolate or the lovely sweet-tart taste of lemonade on a hot day.    A little Buddhist, a little Zen and a whole lot of joy.    Really good book.  Yes, I would recommend this book to all of us middle-school through adulthood who need to slow down and enjoy the sweet smell of roses growing wild as we are covered in puppy kisses.

 - Shirley J.