I often pause whatever it is I’m doing to take a photograph or two when something I find particularly unique or interesting happens to catch my eye. As was the case when I stepped out of my car at a gas station one summer morning a few years back and almost directly into the subject matter of the image above, which, to me, perfect in its absurdity, beautifully represents the following from Nathaniel Brandon’s The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem: “What is required for many of us, paradoxical though it may sound, is the courage to tolerate happiness without self-sabotage until such time as we lose the fear of it and realize that it will not destroy us (and need not disappear).”

So, continuing the metaphor, what do you say we the many do our best to maintain a firm grasp on our happiness, our joy? Sure, it’s bound to drip and get messy from time to time, especially when cognitive dissonance turns up the heat, but that’s okay—it’s bearable. And should our joie de vivre manage to slip through our fingers every now and then despite the sincerity of our efforts—that’s workable as well. We’ll simply continue to learn from it while patiently developing a more mindful, loving, and resilient grip.

Reference:
Branden, N. (1994). The six pillars of self-esteem. New York, NY: Bantam Books. (p. 11)