We just celebrated Easter Masses with packed churches and great joy, but how do we take the joy that we felt on Easter morning and bring into our everyday lives?
Spreading Easter joy can start with just a few simple everyday actions:
#1 Start the day with a smile and thank you.
In Chris Stefanick’s book, Living Joy, he shares the first rule of unlocking deep joy is gratitude. After reading this, I set up a recurring reminder for myself to thank God for everything. You’re probably wondering why I need a reminder for this? Well, probably like you, I have a lot on my plate with family, work resposibilities, and more. Honestly, I know that if I don’t remind myself, I get too caught up in my todo lists. I began thanking God for all the little things in my life that I had never really stopped to thank God for: my family, my job, the comfortable life I’m able to live, my health, and any little things that pops into my head. When I do that, I can’t help but smile as I realize how great my life is even during the times where I get frustrated or down.
#2 Share that smile.
I started my day by thanking God and putting a smile on my face because of how grateful I am, and now it’s time to share that smile with others.
Our facial expressions are contagious. We tend to mimic the smiles or frowns of others because it helps us better understand what other people are feeling, allowing us to respond appropriately. Knowing that, why would you want to others to frown? Obviously you don’t want that. So walk into the room, share a smile.
As I walk through church between Masses, I try to smile even though I don’t personally know each person and even if I’m not in a very smiley mood. It’s such a lovely feeling to see a smile returned especially from a stranger. It brightens my day and it brightens theirs. That’s a win-win.
#3 Share a thank you.
We are taught from a young age to always say ‘please’ and ‘thank you.’ The latter is especially important though because it shows someone that we value and notice them amidst our fast-paced lives. There is something about being valued that feels good. We all want to feel valued, appreciated, liked, and loved. So why wouldn’t we want others to feel that too?
I also end most of my emails with “thanks.” I often wonder what the right sign-off for an email is and if ending it with “thanks” is always appropriate. I decided that it does make sense because at teh very least, I want to recipient to know that I am thankful for them taking the time to read my email.
Our Easter Connecting Point was “unleash Easter joy.” Remembering that Easter is truly evey day, join me in sharing more smiles and gratitude.