D… delight. An old fashioned word meaning “great pleasure.”

 As a child I frequently would squeal with delight at being pushed on an old tree swing, wooshing back and forth, ever higher, hair wafting in the breeze stirred by my comings and goings in the air. Dancing with my shadow in the late-autumn sun feeling such unrestrained delight. Smelling new mown hay sent me into delightful olfactory joy.

I remember teen years growing up in a sophisticated community with high-faluting ideas about keeping up appearances. Showing delight at a splendid sunset or a sailboat skimming across Lake Michigan, in that atmosphere, was anathema to being cool. Same when in my 30s; I was steeped in the world of professional gallery and museum art. A chilly stance was appropriate behavior then, even when standing in a room full of paintings by Renoir, the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, or the Renaissance masters. My soul burned with a passionate delight and I always felt compelled to stifle my giggles of pure innocent delight. Dare I again mention I felt a childish delight in the face of such awesome (in the true sense of the word) beauty?

Now that I have reached that age where, upon being tickled with delight at the slightest provocation, ( gleeful self-expression is still often sniffed at with disdain by “mature” people), I guffaw, snort, dance a jig, twirl around and wear my heart on my sleeve not caring a fig about who is looking down their reserved nose at me.

Is there a point to this story? Yes. When we Move Forward through life, we can be mindful of our genuine authentic self.  Whatever your age, your stage of development, your culture, your circumstances, when your delight button is pressed, let go of that reserved cool and snort-giggle your feelings of delight. Let it out.

You’ll feel so good.

by

JaeSage

Iowa Druid and Compassionate giggler.