This week I said no to a dear friend's request for assistance in translating a document from English to Spanish that was really beyond me. I love her and it was for a good cause and maybe I could have done it with a lot of struggle and a lot of time and some assistance from some native Spanish-speaking friends. But it would have been a struggle—and would have taken precious time away from the tasks that will really use me and my gifts in a much better way (that's my yes!)

For a blissful month or so after returning home from the week-long silent meditation retreat I attended in late April, there was no place I’d rather be than my meditation cushion. I longed to be there. My cushion had become a delicious refuge of peacefulness, quiet, serenity.

It was heavenly.

But then… as I returned, slowly, but surely, to my duties, my daily routine, life in the ‘real’ world, things shifted.

Recently I finished listening to a wonderful book - The Book of Joy - a conversation between Archbishop Desmond Tutu and The Dalai Lama. It is rich with so many wonderful reasons to celebrate joy and many suggestions for how to do so.

Then a few days ago, when searching for the source of the quote above that was shared with me by one of our teachers at the silent meditation retreat I attended in May, I came across a truly wonderful article by meditation teacher James Baraz - the very person who had shared the quote with us at the retreat!

The article was entitled “Lighten Up”. Isn’t that wonderful? He was talking about how so often we think our spiritual practices must be serious, that they don’t include joy, when actually these practices are the very route to joy! And that joy is essential to true awakening.