Last week, I was out walking my dog one morning when I saw a neighbor whom I often see at that time, a dad with two young boys. Every morning, he walks the two of them to school with the older one on his bike and the younger one on a pedal-free “balance” bike, mostly getting pushed along by his dad.
This morning, there had been freezing rain all night before, so the sidewalk was a bit icy to say the least. At one point, after getting off the balance bike to tie his shoe, the youngest got back on and immediately toppled over because of the ice. Clearly totally unharmed, he and his dad and brother all burst out laughing, heads rolling back in unison.
In that moment, it felt literally impossible not to smile and join in laughing with them. Their joy was simply infectious.
And it got me to thinking, had there been times in my life when I perhaps would have been more closed off from that joy, not allowing myself to relish in others’ happiness?
Absolutely.
And I felt thankful, on this day, that I was in a place where I could instead soak it in.
So today’s message for you, dear readers: joy is contagious, that is, if you can let it in.
When you see someone laughing, see if you can feel their laughter.
When you see two friends hug who clearly haven’t seen each other for a while, see if you can feel how they feel.
If you’re open to feeling joy, this shouldn’t be difficult.
And why?
Because joy is contagious!
