Spontaneous Mandalas & Other Small Joys

There’s a post-it note on my back door that reminds me as I leave the house to “Invoke Joy”. Because, why not? It’s a challenging planet and we can each do our part to create more joy in a million small ways.

Yesterday, while walking Luna, we discovered a tiny mandala[1] created right in front of us on the sidewalk. It appears that the design was created in the snow, as the ground was still wet where the snow had melted.  There were no signs of the artist, but it had child written all over it, both from the simplicity and the resources used.  Carrots and partially eaten apples as well as a pine cone and berries were part of the design. It made me smile. Thank you to this unknown child for invoking joy!   

I imagine this child had headed out to a friend’s house in the morning with a packed lunch.  As with many children, the vegetables didn’t get eaten.  And the apple slices were eaten only up to the skins. (I told you, child written all over it!)  The child could have just thrown the uneaten food in a nearby trash can, but how unimaginative is that? Instead they were inspired to create a design in the snow with their uneaten vegetables and fruit.

And after placing the carrots and apples in a circle they looked around to find more natural objects to add to the design: a pine cone, berries, grass,and tiny stones. I must have come upon it soon after it was created because it wouldn’t last long. There is an army of squirrels in the neighborhood who will swoop in to grab the carrots and apples.  And the wind and other walkers will soon disperse the grass, berries, and pine cones.

So for a brief moment in time, there was this spontaneous creation for anyone lucky enough to walk by and pay attention to it. Maybe it was only me.

Spontaneous creation. We all did it as kids: art work, songs, goofy jokes. It creates joy for us and people around us.  We don’t have to identify as an artist.  And we don’t have to do it for the finished product. We can do something creative because it invokes joy.[2]

This week let’s each allow ourselves that childlike spontaneity to create and make joy.

[1] A Mandala is a circular design that draws our eyes to the center point. See The Ancient History Encyclopedia for more information.

[2] Barron, Carrie, MD, Creating Happiness and Your Own Two Hands, Psychology Today, May 3, 2012