Embracing Life—Making the Most of What You Are Given
Life is a gift, but like all gifts, its value depends on the person receiving it. Most people embrace life to some extent, and others muddle through as best they can. What are the factors related to the joy of living? These are as varied as the people who possess them. Someone’s joy in life might be related to how much energy they have, how fortunate they’ve been, or the opportunities they’ve enjoyed. Enthusiasm for life can be driven by someone’s personality, courage, or curiosity and can be impacted by hardships, tragedies, or life circumstances. But whatever brings about your drive for life, it’s important to be aware of it and what factors in your life influence it.
Embracing Life
Joie de vivre is a French phrase denoting the enjoyment of life, an exultation of spirit, and general happiness (1). It’s a characteristic most people understand and can recognize when seen, but it’s hard to nail down the nuances. It’s not just happiness; it’s deeper than that. It’s an energy a person brings into their life, encompassing optimism and a can-do attitude. It’s a willingness to try experiences and throw yourself into them. It includes a tendency to get along with people and have fun, wherever you are and whoever you’re with. Generally, it’s the ability to embrace life with verve, vitality, and zeal.
Life gets in the way of itself
It’s so easy to get caught up in the details of life. The day-to-day responsibilities, requirements, and business accompanying living can get in the way of the feelings of joy and wonder at your life’s special and beautiful aspects. It’s important to guard against a default setting that does not provide you with a love of life and a sense of excitement at what it might bring. Every day should include, at the very least, a handful of things that you are excited about and make you happy. If not, you need to reexamine your life and what you fill it with. It’s good to be diligent about your responsibilities and duties, but if you treat the joy of life as a duty that is just as sacred, you will eventually achieve balance.
The circle of life
You know how immortality is portrayed as incredible and fantastic in movies and books? I think it would be horrific. Life energy is, by nature, finite. There comes a time when people don’t have the energy or desire to meet life’s demands and challenges—it’s natural and normal. Death, at the end of a full, rich life, is not sad, except that we will miss the person. It’s a natural part of the circle of life and should be celebrated. And when a person reaches the end of their supply of enthusiasm for life, they can embrace the end of their life with dignity and jubilance. The cultural pressure to live as long as medically possible diminishes our evolution to the next plane of existence. Of course, there comes a time in most people’s lives when they feel spent and defeated and might even wish for death when death is not yet the answer. It’s important that we don’t give in to lassitude and burnout when we still have some energy left in the tank.
Life for the long haul
As people continue to live, finding activities and experiences that give them a sense of childlike wonder, joy, and excitement can become increasingly challenging. This comes from gaining experience and insights into the world. You may become world-weary or tired of many of the things that life has to offer. You may chalk it up to gaining wisdom and knowledge of the world. But it’s important not to use that as an excuse for losing your enthusiasm for life. Some of the most fun and energetic people I have known have really lived their lives and have significant experience. Even though so much more of their lives are not new, they remain open-minded and excited. They are living examples of the idea that there will always be something exciting and new in your life, you just have to remain open to and on the lookout for them.
Life is exciting, joyful, and wondrous. It might not always feel that way, but if you keep on the lookout, you can always find something that fills your heart and exhilarates your spirit.
~~~
(1) Harrow, Susan; Unwin, Timothy A; Freeman, Michael (2009). Joie de vivre in French literature and culture : essays in honour of Michael Freeman. Amsterdam, NTH & New York, NY: Rodopi Publishers.
Blocks of Life was selected by Feedspot as one of the top 100 life blogs on the web!
