Jumping for Joy!

My sister sent me this picture of my niece recently. i LOVE it. i love how she looks like she is about to jump out of her skin in excitement. i love that you can see she is literally jumping for joy because she is so excited about the DVD she's just opened as a birthday gift.

So i've been thinking about joy and celebration - and jumping for joy. i've been thinking about the beauty and simplicity of a child jumping for joy, and why adults don't usually jump for joy anymore...and when you stop jumping for joy - and what causes you to stop celebrating like a little girl does.

I think maybe its somewhat linked to expectation. i bet lydie didn't have huge expectations for the gift. She doesn't have a sense of entitlement. And maybe it has something to do with worry and/or cynicism. Lydie doesn't worry about...well, anything - she trusts her mom and dad to take care of her. Lydie isn't cynical about life or the world - she is fully of hope. I wonder how much it has to do with fear. Lydie isn't afraid of what people will think of her, she isn't concerned about her image. She isn't brooding over the past - or worried about the future.

She is fully present in the joy and celebration of the moment. thankful. celebrating.

I jump for joy still - sometimes. when i found cheese that didn't cost an arm and a leg. when i was excited about the retreats i've been on. when katie just gave me m&ms and bbq sauce. But i want to jump for joy more often. i want to be a person who celebrates. free from fear, cynicism, worry, guilt. full of joy, hope, thankfulness and life.