A Gift of the Hood… JOY
My son walked out to his car the other day and sitting on the hood, was a book with no note or explanation. He asked around to see if he could find out who left it, but no one stepped forward. So, the assumption is that it must have been a simple random act of kindness.
The book was The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and Douglas Abrams. Can you believe it? To find that book, anonymously gifted, on a city street? I just LOVE people!
By grace or luck, I happened to be visiting him this weekend. Naturally, we went down the rabbit hole together. I have heard of this book and have been meaning to read it, so clearly this was a cool message for me as well. He started to read the book, and I went out and bought my own copy. It has sparked some wonderful deep conversations.
Then, we discovered a documentary called Mission: JOY – Finding Happiness in Troubled Times. It’s the story about bringing Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama together for discussions that ultimately lead to the creation of the book. It really moved us. We learned so much more about these two exceptional men (who are both Nobel Peace Prize winners). I highly recommend it. It will warm your heart and give you some hope...and joy!
At one point in the film, Desmond Tutu’s daughter said something that made me stop the film and rewind it several times so I could take it all in. She said,
“At the fundamental level, every single human being is exactly the same. We are all vulnerable to pain, fear, and unhappiness.” (Even from the moment of birth) “And we are all aspiring to be happy, to seek connection, to find meaning, and to find love. There is really no difference. It doesn’t really matter where you come from, it is the fundamental human condition.”
One of the things that struck me the most was how much struggle both of these beautiful men had endured in their lives and yet were still able to laugh, tease, and radiate love.
Their message is that joy isn’t the absence of struggle. We all have struggle. It is how we meet it. They remind us that joy grows when we choose connection, forgiveness and kindness, even in difficult situations.
They also tell us to stay focused on helping others. And that we should be asking ourselves the question, “How may I serve?” They both said that it is by helping others that we connect with meaning and purpose which ultimately helps us cultivate joy.
So, to the unknown soul who left this beautiful book on the hood of my son’s car, thank you! I wonder if you could have known how it would ripple out. It touched us both deeply and helped inspire today’s column!
“Your ordinary acts of love and hope point to the extraordinary promise that every human life is of inestimable value and that we are most joyful when we focus on others, not on ourselves.” – Archbishop Desmond Tutu
“Our prime purpose in this life is to help others.” – Dalai Lama
Love and gratitude,