Would you rather be right, or happy?

I know those things are not mutually exclusive, but Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, in her book My Stroke of Insight, raises the question. If God created us to have eternal life, inner peace, and joy, as our natural state, can we reclaim that inner peace? Prayer is one of the ways God, as recorded in the Bible, recommends that we can focus on what is important in life. Christians believe that God gives us who believe in Him the Holy Spirit, who can enable us to live with a compassionate, generous spirit, and live joyfully. The circuitry to experience joy is still there; it is just being inhibited by such circuitries as misery, ego and our need to be right. We can choose to hook into the circuitries of joy and happiness. Yes, we have a choice as to what we want to respond to. Feeling anger can help us feel strong. Yet, it is just as possible for us to tap into the happiness circuitry, which Dr. Taylor says is always running, unlike the anger circuitry.

Like Dr. Taylor, I get a bad physiological response from sugar and caffeine. Therefore, I stay away from both. Likewise, since I like being joyful, I prefer to hang out with people who value my joy. Right now the most joyful experience in my life is to read to my sons at night. We are reading Peter and the Shadow Thieves by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. It is the second in a series. The first one we read was Peter and the Starcatchers. Jon, Greg, and I share many laughs in each chapter. I try to read it with various voices associated with certain characters. For example, there is Lord Ombra, a dark, faceless figure who consumes people's shadows, and thus takes control of those people. My voice for him is a deep, groaning one. Reading to them, and getting their joyful responses, is so powerful and relaxing, and enables them to turn off their other circuits and go to sleep (most of the time). I also read to Sara, and I believe it does the same for her. Like Jon and Greg, she really focuses in on what we are reading. Now she tries to read the words herself, and can do a really good job. It is wonderful to see her progress.