How much time do you spend giving the hassles of your life your full attention?  How much time do you spend being irritated in traffic, frustrated at work, or focused on going shopping to get the most stuff at the lowest price?  How much of your time is full of the things that irritate you? Do you talk to friend after friend about what’s wrong at work or about the person who has just betrayed you or the one who is driving you nuts?

And yet, on the other hand, how much time do you spend glorying in the things you find most joyful?  Do you tell your friends, over and over, how much fun you have playing with your dog and how your own eyes light up at the joy in his eyes when it’s time for a walk with a ball?

Do you wake up in the morning and go to sleep at night full of excitement for the time you will spend meditating, writing, painting, or joyfully cooking?  Do you let the irritations slide off so that you can jump headfirst into what brings you joy? Or do you bathe in anxiety, irritation, and dismay until you run out of time and joy is once again something you didn’t get around to today?