God Wants Us to Be Happy, Joyous, and Free

Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.
— Victor Borge, Humorist and Musician

"Happiness can be likened to jam; you can't spread even a little without getting some on yourself. Happiness, joy, and freedom brighten your spirit, and your light just naturally shines on others. Living the spiritual life offers us freedom from being controlled by people, places, or things — it gives us the ability to make choices. Happy, joyous, and free might mean avoiding the 'terrible state of the world' discussions as defined by the nightly news. It might require walking away from the water cooler if it becomes a place where people indulge their negativity. You can vote with your feet! This is not to turn your back on world events or your friends and co-workers. But there is a clear difference between discussing current events and pandering to pessimism, and between gossip and keeping up with friends.

"Addiction, like Oscar the Grouch, thrives on negativity — he loves trash and trashing others. You would never catch Oscar on one of the Twelve Steps — they're designed as a way out of the garbage can. Happy, joyous, and free isn't a message to be preached — you can only deliver it by the brightness of your own spirit.

"IF YOU HAVE DRAWN THIS CARD * Consider taking Rita Mae Brown's advice when she said: 'I finally figured out the only reason to be alive is to enjoy it.' Maybe you should make a play date for yourself today. If you can't take the whole day, take the next two minutes off.

"JOURNAL SUGGESTIONS * What if you believed spirituality was simply about being happy, joyous, and free? How would that change your understanding of your Higher Power? How would it change your understanding about work or about a relationship? How would that help you in making choices?

"ACTION * Make a decision to live happy, joyous, and free like the character on the card — just for today. Redos are allowed!"