Friday, August 21, 2009

Keep Laughing!
















I was thinking about Maine this morning, the cool morning air, the spray of water across my face as waves crash against the rocks, the lapping of the water against the shore , the faint sound of gulls in the distance, it's the lullaby of the sea I have read about and heard as well. So beautiful.
And then I read this:

How necessary it is to cultivate a spirit of joy. It is a psychological truth
that the physical acts of reverence and devotion make one feel devout.
The courteous gesture increases one’s respect for others. To act lovingly
is to begin to feel loving, and certainly to act joyfully brings joy to others
which in turn makes one feel joyful. I believe we are called to the duty of delight.
~ Dorothy Day
I love the idea of a duty of delight, to be joyful, to act joyfully in order to make others feel joyful. What a wonderful ability to have. To actually feel purely joyful and delighted doesn't happen all of the time (in my experience, anyway). I'm thinking about that pure, ecstatic, delighted feeling that causes laughter to bubble up from deep inside you, the kind of laughter that comes from feeling utterly and completely happy, as if the sun is shining from within you and all is right with the world. That kind of feeling, that laughter doesn't happen all of the time but it's lovely when it does.

I am very fortunate in that my husband delights in making people laugh, especially me. He tells me almost everyday, after I've been laughing at something he said or did, how much he loves to hear me laugh. He's good at it too. He's witty, quick thinking, great at one-liners and very observant. He's also wonderful at accents and at any given time I am living with someone who sounds irish, scottish, australian, italian, german, southern or like several different animated characters such as Homer Simpson and other Springfield in habitants. It's fun and entertaining and occasionally (but not too often) I roll my eyes! LOL

The photos are of York and Camden Maine, Neddick Light in York (top) and the Portland Head Light Station (bottom). Looking at these photos makes me feel happy.

I hope you have a funny Friday!

Amy


11 comments:

  1. This is a state I wanna visit!

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  2. Really nice post - I love those photos, and the passage from Dorothy Day. My Hubby also makes me laugh, and I love it. However, he laughs when I roll my eyes at him. ~smile~
    Have a great weekend. I think the temps are going to drop abit, and some rain will come rolling in. My garden desperately needs a good rainfall. I can't water it enough, without it wilting by 4:00.

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  3. Oh, I could use a bit of cool morning air right about now...

    Neddick Light is very nice, but Portland Head is even nicer and then one of my favorites, the oh so cute West Quoddy.
    Oh Maine, a lighthouse lover's dream. ;-)

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  4. I've never been to Maine, which almost a sin for a person who loves lighthouses. Someday...love the happy thought for this Friday!

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  5. Husband and I lived in Maine for 9 years and all the kids were born there. We were about 45 minutes from Camden and went there a lot! It truly is very beautiful! Thanks for your uplifting post.

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  6. What beautiful pics! Absolutely stunning!

    Lovely post!

    xxLOLA:)

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  7. I love funny people! Most of my friends are hilarious. Even the ones that "aren't" crack me up. My husband isn't so good at the accents...but strangely, he does a dead on Dr. Evil.

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  8. Love this post! Lovely pictures. I'm feeling happy just thinking of being near the ocean.

    Keep laughing and keep writing these inspiring posts! :)

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  9. Wonderful sentiment, I do believe it is the duty of us all to make those that we love laugh and just generally experience joy!

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  10. I, too, believe we choose our own joy! I love the photos of Maine!!

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  11. Gorgeous pictures and wonderful post!

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