Hints of Gladness

A Heartfelt Practice for Joyful Living

by Rod Janz, SoulStream Partner

There was a time in my life when I felt trapped in negativity. With the guidance of a business coach, I started a project called “Hints of Gladness,” inspired by a line from Mary Oliver’s beautiful poem “When I Am Among the Trees” thinking that it would one of the things I could do that would help me get out of my negative funk. Here’s the line from the first section of the poem:

When I am among the trees,
especially the willows and the honey locust,
equally the beech, the oaks and the pines,
they give off such hints of gladness.
I would almost say that they save me, and daily.

To complement the website and blog, I made it a practice for 30 days to notice “hints of gladness” and documented this journey on my new blog. This simple practice turned out to be transformative!

The Meaning of Delight

Delight is about joy and gratification. It plays a crucial role in both personal and spiritual transformation. Regularly returning to delight has changed my perspective, infusing me with a little more energy and joy. Embracing delight allows me to see beauty in everyday moments, deepening my connection with myself and the world around me. I believe it can do the same for you!

Wisdom and Delight

In spiritual direction, I’ve discovered that our view of God profoundly impacts our ability to experience delight and joy. Healing our perception of God, ourselves, and others is essential for transformation. Proverbs 8:30-31 speaks of spending time with the God of wisdom, resulting in delighting in the world and humanity. Conversely, seeing God as judgmental and angry breeds negativity and stifles joy. In my opinion we get to choose our view of God, so why not choose a loving, caring, and compassionate one?

The Habitual Negative State

During a coaching session, I realized I was sounding like Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh. I mentioned this to my coach, and they responded, “Yeah, you’re bumming me out too.” It was a bit harsh (we’d never say that in Spiritual Direction—ha!), but it served as a wake-up call. With their assistance, I began to make changes.

One thing I realized I could do—and wanted to do—was practice delight, gratitude, and appreciation. Negativity had become my habitual state. To break free from it, I had to hit rock bottom and embrace my desire for a happier, more joyful life.

Make Delight an Intentional Practice

Intentionally practicing delight helps me recognize the divine presence in all things, freeing me from judgment and allowing me to live and love more fully. I like to say it puts me in the way of Grace. As Jesse Elder, another wonderful coach, says, “When you practice delight, you are fueling abundance—yours and others.” This divine cooperation—the practice of delight—fills your spiritual tank with joy and prosperity and gradually transforms you.

Making delight a daily practice leads to a more joyful and fulfilling life, helping us connect deeply with the divine. May we choose to delight and allow it to transform and guide our relationships with God and others.

Here’s a Simple Way to Practice Delight:

Look around and take delight in the things you see. For example, as I’m writing this there is a picture on my desk of myself and my grandson at Disneyland—I take delight in that! I have a computer that I’m typing on—I take delight in that.

Just keep looking around and taking delight in what you see.

And just keep going as long as there is juice to do so.

When the energy runs out—you’re done.

Rinse and repeat throughout your day for several days and watch your inner state shift as joy surfaces naturally and effortlessly.

Take good care.

~ Rod