Do you ever feel that you’re all in your head, thinking about this or that?
Oh, I sure do. I wonder about and consider things so much, that I tend to go seriously serious. 
Granted, while a lot of what I’m considering is fascinating and worthy of consideration, it’s not my intention, but my “thinkiness” holds me back and dampens my mood. It’s impossible for me to be both analytical and joyful at the same time. Knowing that sometimes I have to coax joy along, I head off to my favorite local hiking trail to enjoy myself.
I recently met joy.
Still pondering universal naval fluff, I focused on my breathing and on navigating my way around the newer trails. On my return route, I saw a man and his puppy heading my way. The minute I saw the puppy I felt my heart jump. He was happy to see me too. He jumped up licking my hand, did a couple of pirouettes, jumped up and licked my hand again. It was a lovefest. I chatted for a couple of minutes with his person while I petted this adorable puppy. It was time to continue in opposite directions. After a couple of steps, I looked back and saw the puppy had stopped and was looking at me. He seemed to be wondering “you’re not coming with us”? I said goodbye and turned back to my walk.
I never asked his person what the puppy’s name was, but I would have named him Joy. Imagine people asking what’s your dog’s name and answering “this is Joy”! Joy showed up at just the right time, excitedly encouraging me to get out of my head and to choose lightheartedness.