Sitting With Joy

The blue chair sits against the wall,
easily lost in the room full of furniture.

The sun falls against the brocade fabric.
Look closely and you can see the wear,
a visible mark of history, of being useful.

You sit. The sun falls against your legs,
warming them.

There is plenty to think about. There are things to do.
But not now. Now is a time to be,
to celebrate the simple act of living,
to feel the sun, breathe in the cool air,
listen to the silence in the room.

Your mind grows quiet.
There is gratitude in your silence.
Joy. Enough,
and then some.

About this poem

Therapists often tell us we need to sit with our feelings. Normally, they are talking about the hard feelings, the pain. But there is value in sitting with Joy as well.

The chair is in the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum in Boston. 

Tom