Arise and come away

  

For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; 

The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds 
is come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land; 

The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. 
Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.

Song of Solomon 2:11-13 (KJV)

We need a grass roots movement of joy in this country, in the world.

It seems joy has been eroded from the faces of people around us. Perhaps it's the decline of the economy, the long-standing bi-partisan battle in Washington, DC, the smoldering undercurrent of fear of the imminent 2012  forecast. Who knows what it is exactly, but there is a pallor on our collective human countenance.

Look around, at the faces, into the once sparkling hopeful eyes of people, laughing and smiling, walking and talking with each other. Have you noticed a more sober populace?

People are dressing in dark colors, gray and black, even though it's spring. Are they displaying and wearing their fear, their sense of powerlessness, their wholesale surrender to a sense of helplessness because of the increase in unemployment? Are we as a people, as an entire planetary species, feeling the weight and burden of these times?

During the "roaring 20's," just before the stock market crashed in 1929, dresses were short and fun-loving. Then the economy dropped out below them, and hemlines went long again, dark again. It was a long time before we climbed out of that economic hole and it took a world war and a cold war until the skirts came back up and fun-loving spilled onto the college campus.

I can't help noticing the bleakness in people's faces, the fear, the despair. I feel this urge to hug everyone, tell them they can be happy even if they're homeless, even if they're out of work, no matter what is going on in their lives. 

Happiness, like love, is a choice. It has to be, otherwise, we're allowing our very spirits to be controlled by outside forces. Otherwise, we become puppets of something out there. We can take back control of our spirits, our joy. We are our own managers. We can decide not to let anything that happens "out there" take us down, make us sad, steal our joy.

The spring landscape is beautiful. The apple blossoms are out, the daffodils and tulips are peeking out, blinking in the bright sunshine. We can all come away from darker thoughts, fears, and join in the chorus of birdsong everywhere.

Unfortunately, it seems, we have decided to look like, act like we're sad and depressed.

People, don't go there! We don't know what the future holds. We don't know what kind of economy we're going to find ourselves in. We may all be out of jobs in a few years, but at least, for the time being, put away your sad rags and put on some color. Put a smile on your face, google up some good jokes, make your co-workers laugh. Don't take it all so seriously because in another few years, the economy will swing back up and we'll have spent all these years, controlled by that all-powerful, all-consuming global systemic force - THE ECONOMY - and have spent too many years bummed out, looking down in the mouth, swathed in sad rags.

Recently, I was helping my daughter with some sewing. We went to the fabric store and were just awed with all the beautiful, bright floral, colorful, vibrant fabrics. I just wanted to make her an entire wardrobe of happy clothes. I wanted to see everyone wearing happy colors. I began to notice that the CNN newscasters were wearing red and other bright colors - intentionally, most likely - to keep ratings up. People are naturally bullish; we respond to red. But, when you see the people on the street, the predominant color is gray or black - various shades of pale. 

I have a friend in Buffalo, a high school teacher, who always wears an interesting tie to work. No matter what's going on in his high school, whatever is going on in the world around him, he always has on an interesting tie. It usually draws out a conversation. It embraces you. It says a lot about him and his refusal to allow his spirits to be controlled by anything or anyone - even the high school principal. We all know how bleak Buffalo can be during the long winters there, and yet he wears interesting ties and in that simple act seems to refuse to allow his spirits to be dampened or controlled by any external forces.

So, now, winter is past, and the time for singing has returned to our lands. Forget about the economy, 2012 - whatever that means or will mean, turn up the music, open the windows of your heart and mind, laugh and please put on your happy clothes - even if you have to go to the fabric store and make them yourself. Personally, I might just be wearing fabric for awhile.

We can choose to be happy. We can choose to lighten up, get rid of the junk that has gathered, cluttering up our homes, our lives, and reach for simplicity, freedom, creativity, color and life. If we do this, collectively, over and over and over again, we just might send a wave through the current of negativity that's sweeping around us, and start a critical mass movement, and turn things around again.

Meditating on the sad stuff only perpetuates it. Meditate on joy, on peace, on love, on life and we perpetuate that. Certainly we must care about those in need, reverse oppressive and evil systems, but at the same time focus your minds on joy. Become joy, because joy becomes you! Remember who you are. We are all beautiful autonomous sovereign beings, creators, far more powerful than any of us fully comprehend.  We are all taking this life one step at a time.  But, the time now calls us to command our own ships and choose the highest level of living, and that just might require a yellow t-shirt today or a daffy duck tie.