Abounding joy

Have you ever stopped to think that maybe we all aren’t as accepting of others as we like to think we are?

Sometimes, even when we say everyone is welcome, we don’t mean everyone. We exclude those who are different from us. We tell them to conform to our ideals, our values, our way of thinking, or else be excluded. We put rules in place to protect our customs and our way of doing things.

“You can join us, but you can’t do…..”

“You can’t be this unless you do that.”

And heaven forbid if someone thinks out of the box, or challenges the status quo, or simply tries to facilitate discussion in some way that causes anyone to. Heaven forbid anyone with any kind of difference whatsoever seeks to enter without trying to fit their square peg into the round holes of the rules set in place. They are expected to play down their differences and conform.

And if they don’t… We argue with others. We block them on social media and bar them from the places we want others to feel welcome. We expect others to see us and respect us when we don’t give the same in return. We toe the line, so why can’t they?

But guess what. None of us can stay in the box all of the time. We all try to fit in, yet we all have quirks that make us different. We hide away these eccentricities, tucking them deep within ourselves as we try to conform to a normality in which we will never fully fit into.

But why do we have to conform? What if we didn’t have to conform to every expectation of what “normal” is? What if we could discover the true joy in figuring out who each of us are with the differences, the abnormalities, the quirks that make us uniquely us?

Can you imagine what joy that would bring?

Joy. Happiness. Elation.

It wasn’t until just a few years ago that I felt comfortable enough to allow my own light to shine. I tried to be what others wanted me to be. I hid away my goofiness and my writings in an effort to make people like me more. “Stop being so silly” and “grow up!” were often snapped at me when I tried to be whimsical. So I conformed. I tried to blend in instead of stand out. I tried to be something I was not in order to be a round peg.

But I found that what mattered to me more than winning the approval of people who just never really seemed to care in the first place was letting myself be who I was. I found a tribe that accepted me and my goofiness and have let me come out of my shell. I have a circle that doesn’t care that I am this anxiety-ridden writer who has these weird flights of fantasy and can be passive-aggressive and a pain in the ass at times, but sees the magic within me. I have become a more joyful person, willing to share my zany kooky-crazy (as my brother calls it) with the world in the form of happy dances, cards with unicorn stickers, and whatever other quirkiness I can exude. Joy has been allowed to abound. And I continue to let it.

I write this journey into joyful acceptance of love, hope and peace into my stories. As the other half would tell you, Solilune of Delphian, my beloved Portal Seeker has a similar journey to learning to accept himself as I have been on. He has been given some of my quirks, my dreams, and my hope for a better world.

When joy is allowed to abound, there is magic. There are stories to be shared, wonderous stories full of hope, peace and love as well.

Joy abounds when we let ourselves be our true selves.

Joy abounds when we embrace others as they are as well.

Let joy abound. Find your tribe. Let others into your circles. And don’t be afraid to be the joyful square pegs who make their own holes rather than trying to conform to the ideals of others.

Stay magical.

---

If you liked this blog post, comment below! Share with others, if you dare. Subscribe to my blog for updates! Visit my “About me” page if you want to contact me.

If you wanted to see some of the fantasy works I have written, check out my Portals Series.

If you are interested in my other online endeavors, check out the drop down menu to see more.

And as always, #writeyourownstory