The TV was on, with the sound off. I don’t watch TV anymore, so my interest was vague. When the interviewer leaned forward, and her eyes grew large, and the others around the interview table also leaned forward, I did wonder what the person being interviewed had just said. I wound back the, ummmm, pixels, and tuned on the sound.
“I have a feeling of impending doom,” the interviewed person declared. And the others repeated the action of widening their eyes, and leaning forward in interest.
“About what?” was the first question. I really didn’t care. I had seen enough–we love impending doom. We love the slightly sick feeling of fear, of the unknown. Of putting our fears on “the other,” or “them.”
I wondered why we never say, “I have an impending feeling of great joy!” I’ve never heard anyone say that. Is joy harder to bear than doom? Is it so much easier to think we know bad things will happen than expect good things to happen? Are we so certain of disaster that we don’t want to be responsible for joy?
I’m taking a stand here. I’m having a great feeling of impending joy. I think good things will happen. Because the more I look for them, the more I will find. Just like on the motorcycle, I’m looking in the direction of joy.
–Quinn McDonald has a book coming out in a month. Raw Art Journaling is for people who want to be satisfied and are afraid of the responsibility.
QuinnCreative 