Joy Is Not Made To Be A Crumb

The poet Mary Oliver said (emphasis added)

If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy, don’t hesitate. Give in to it.

…whatever it is, don’t be afraid of its plenty.

Joy is not made to be a crumb.

There’s a nugget of truth about our work inside of this (and life, amongst other things).

When we find the work that makes us and others happy, when we find a sense of belonging and purpose, it’s not made to be a crumb.

Whatever we’re good at, whatever we make a positive contribution with, it’s worth doing more of.

It probably won’t just fall into our laps. We’ll have to work at making it more than just a nice thing we get to do sometimes.

Take the whole cookie. Not just the crumb. Thanks Mary Oliver.

And, thanks to James Clear for highlighting this quote. It’s from, “Swan: Poems and Prose Poems.”