Enjoyment

Enjoyment requires some effort. This is different from entertainment. There is a tendency with today's easy access to media to be satisfied with being entertained without learning to enjoy those things in life which require patient observation, education or effort.

My capacity for enjoyment is related to my capacity for joy. I aspire to create joy in being, in the simple act of living. This takes practice. It requires perspective and reflection. I am not speaking of mindless optimism. I am referring to extracting joy from the simple state of being human with all its problems as well as its pleasures.

I have found that those things which can initially annoy me might also be enjoyed. This takes effort. By expanding my vision, I can sometimes see beyond my annoyance to something which is intriguing or informative. This gives me an opportunity to learn something as well as to expand my ability to enjoy more aspects of being alive.

There are still things I do not enjoy. However, I am learning to moderate my aversion to those things. As I do this, I find I am more capable at developing enjoyment in other aspects of my experience.