Feeling the Joy

While I have gone on about "love" and "happy" being more of a verb than a way to describe how I am feeling, as I sat this morning with my coffee cup nestled to my heart watching rabbits, what I felt was pure, unadulterated "joy". It was definitely a feeling.

Our neighborhood rabbits have been entertaining me on a regular basis. One morning, there were two rabbits nibbling on the kibble sprinkled generously under the fir tree in our front yard. They ate to their heart's content and moved on when the spirit moved them. Two more rabbits came into view. I sat and gazed at the antics of the rabbit quartet and my heart was full.

There are most definitely four rabbits residing in and around our neighborhood. There may be more but "four" seems to be the number I spot on a regular basis.

I gaze out the window and it never ceases to amaze me how these white snowballs blend into the scenery so seamlessly. I can be looking right at a rabbit and not recognize it until it moves or its ears perk up. They appear to be very aware of each other's presence. One will come out of hiding and find another, then the two will hop off. They all seem to be headed in one particular direction, spread out a little as they make their way down the street but when one heads down the street where they hop out of sight, I just wait. Because one by one, they all follow.

We couldn't live in a better rabbit-watching spot. Here in this little curve of our road, I can see down two streets and into the front yards where they seem to frolic and play before they disappear out of sight. If I lived across the street or even one house either side of where we live, I would lose the panoramic view I so enjoy.

I think of the rabbits who resided in and around Mom's street. Her street was quieter than ours. It was not uncommon to spot a rabbit sunning itself in Mom's or a neighbor's front yard in the middle of the day. Our rabbits only seem to come into view at dusk and dawn. The sun is getting up earlier and going down later every day (yay!!!), but will this hamper my prime rabbit viewing times?

I gaze out our living room window with my coffee cup close to my heart. I let my mind wander. I scan the neighborhood for movement or any new snow clumps (they usually turn out to be a rabbit). It is like playing "Where's Waldo?" every morning as the backdrop stays the same but I am almost certain there is a rabbit hiding in plain sight if I can just spot it.

This is the closest I come to meditation. It has taken the place of writing my "Morning Pages". This little ritual brings me a state of joyfulness that comes from within.

I wish you joy ... in whatever manner you find it. Hold it close to your heart and savor the feeling. Like our rabbits, often joy is hiding in plain sight. It is just a matter of letting it reveal itself.