I wish you joy...

On my drive into work this morning, bobbing to music as usual, I took notice of a man sitting on the sidewalk. He was sitting cross-legged and was wearing dark tinted sunglasses--he appeared to be talking, I assumed to himself because he was lacking in audience.

I'm not sure why but I sent a prayer out for him--I wished him joy and I meant it. I saw another man walking through a fast food parking lot and sent him the same prayer. At this point, however, I paused because I wondered if they might be social deviants who had ever brought pain into the lives of others. But this thought passed quickly for me as I realized it was not my responsibility to judge them, their lives or their actions. For IF they had, isn't it entirely possible that they induced pain because of their own? Furthermore, with joy in their lives, might they even begin to share joy with others and move from causing pain?

Please realize that this is entirely hypothetical--I have idea who they are in their hearts and who they have been in their actions but I know, at once, it no longer mattered.

So I finished my prayers for these strangers and even found another candidate walking the sidewalk in his work uniform.

It made me feel good to send these wishes of joy, these small prayers to people who had absolutely no idea who I was and no idea that I was even there, sharing space and time with them for that moment.

And with that...I wish you joy.

Namaste'