Joy, Found in the Moment

"Joy is the happiness that doesn't depend on what happens."
BR. DAVID STENDL-RAST

Anticipation can unleash high expectations that will rarely be met.  When the encounter actually occurs, it will often fall short of what we expected.  Whether the experience is with a person, place, book, movie or song, there will be an element of let down.

Avoidance can build extreme resistance to an undesirable action, causing unnecessary dread.  When we finally engage, we are surprised that the opportunity was far less unpleasant than we expected. The build up to the event was worse than the event itself.

The key to either situation whether positive or negative is to stay in the moment, to greet situations as they unfold, and to not have any preconceived expectations.  Without coloring the picture with personal emotions prior to viewing, we have pristine clarity.  In this way, we experience joy in each unfolding moment untainted by expectations.