I still have joy

I still have joy, I still have joy, after all the things I've been through I still have joy!

Music is a great moderator of mood.  I often have music playing and the style depends on what I'm doing at the time or what I need out of the music.  There are times that it takes me some time to find the right music for the moment, I turn on what I think I want to listen to and it ends up agitating me when I'd prefer to be calmed, or it calms me when I want to be excited. 

At the beginning of Unitarian services, there is generally an instrumental music selection identified as "Centering."  This is a time for the congregation to bring themselves into a prayerful or contemplative state.  I have found that I have to take moments from time to time to center myself throughout the week, not just on Sunday, to let go of the frustrations of my life, those things I have no control over, and trust that the powers that be have the master plan all figured out.  Even though I don't know what that plan is, I either have to let life happen, doing what I can to take care of myself and my family, or go crazy worrying about all of the possibilities.  On some days this is a more challenging endeavor than on others.  Those days, I turn to music to help me focus on the good. 

One of the most powerful tools in my music box is the CD my (very wise) daughter asked me for.  Her favorite track on the CD is the title track, Same Old Slippers.  I'm pretty sure this is because she got to sing it with Judy at a performance in Boulder, Colorado.  My favorite track varies from day to day; some days it is Welcome to the Circle, some days I Still have Joy, or any number of others.  The important thing to me is that I know that if I'm having one of those days when I am struggling with life in general, I can turn on this CD and I will be able to find a track that helps me center.

How do you center? How do you manage those days that make it seem like it is just too much? Do you focus on all that has gone wrong or try to think about all that has gone right?  Do you focus on the worst that could happen or consider the best that could come?  Do you have tools that you use to center when you feel yourself getting to that point when you just want the day to be over?  Where do you live, or maybe the better question is, when do you live?  Do you dwell in the past, enjoy the present, anticipate the future?  What do you use to center?  It could be a piece of music, a Bible passage, crafting, exercise, cooking, or something else.

We can all use more tools for our toolbox, for those days that none of the ones we have seem to work.  It could be interesting and helpful to others to share our tools with each other.  If you're willing, comment below, on Facebook, or through a private message to me. I have a project in mind for the collection of ideas.