Just a Bowl of Cherries How to Enjoy Life More!

By Dr. Mawiyah Clayborne, The Bliss Doctor

Imagine that life really is a bowl of cherries! We can enjoy that bowl of cherries on so many different levels. On the level of sight, for example, we can see how deeply red the cherries are, denoting their sweetness. We can enjoy the cherries on the level of smell, smelling their sweetness as we prepare to take each bite! We can enjoy the sensual experience of our mouths watering and the anticipation preceding each mouthful.  Finally, as a result of all this careful and deliberate enjoyment, we can enjoy the fulfillment following each and every succulent bite. 

There once lived a very extraordinary woman who exemplified the principle of enjoying life to the maximum.  Fluent in English, French and German, this individual traveled all over the world as a lecturer and a writer of 14 books and poetry.  The Story of My Life won her a Pulitzer Prize and a Newberry Award.  A graduate of Radcliff College, her writings showed her ability to enjoy and to appreciate the beauty of things, taken for granted by most of us. 

Under ordinary circumstances, her life story is exceptional.  Considering that she could not see or hear, Hellen Keller was an inspiration not only to those who can see and hear but moreover, she was a role model to blind and deaf people over the world.

There are at least four keys for enjoying every aspect of life: 

1:  The best way to enjoy your life is to stay in the moment. Stay in the moment and enjoy the Bliss of the moment. The moment is where the best of life resides.  It’s easy to look back on the past and what we “should’a” “would’a” “could’a” done. Lamenting the past or dreading the future are behavior patterns which challenge Bliss (Being and Living from with/IN your Sacred Space).  Bliss is the fulfillment of enjoyment.  Bliss is a state of enjoyment that takes us beyond the fleeting and every changing moods of happiness.

2:  We must develop flow in our lives, that is, the ability to move forward through life’s changes. Allow life to unfold. Get out of the way. Life is full of surprises. Make change a friend. Instead of shrinking, expand. Instead of putting on brakes and causing resistance in our lives, we must move forward.

If you think that your relationships won’t change, then live long enough. If you think that house won’t change, then don’t hide when it is time to repair the roof. If you think you won’t change your mind, then you’re probably dead. Change is inherently part of life. In fact, probably the only thing that's permanent is change.

3:  Another key to enjoying yourself is to laugh. Stop being so serious about life! Put things in perspective, and you will find that the Bliss of life is more important than any job, any car, any investment, any business, any contract or deal. Laugh sometimes when you make a mistake. It truly is okay to be humanly imperfect as long as you have a sense of humor about it.

4:  And remember to play. The world is a stage—or maybe it's a playground. Take your place on the stage, and occupy yourself in amusement or sport. Through play we find that we get out of our heads and into our hearts. When your mind is occupied in play, it is in a state of freedom. This state of freedom, this state of integration of mind and heart, is a state of Bliss. Play like the child that you are, and you will grow in humility and love.

Play like a child, and when the toys, or the material or emotional aspects of life change, then Bliss is still there. Such a state is magical, and such a state is ours to claim if and when we each decide to claim it.

Everything that we see, touch and smell in life is Bliss in it’s true nature. Therefore, embrace and enjoy life.  Embrace and enjoy the Bliss!

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Dr. Mawiyah Clayborne