The Tartan Army has left Boston. They are bringing their joy to other locales.
The local newspaper, the Boston Globe, took out a full-page ad, thanking the Tartan Army. While I can’t find the actual ad, there was a post on X showing the ad: https://x.com/BenVolin/status/2068384741313634405. (Somehow, I can’t embed that into this post, so you’ll have to click on it. Sorry about that.)
Now, we, the Boston-area residents, have a big problem: Now that the Tartan Army has decamped, how do we find our courage to maintain our joy?
Yes, I say that joy requires courage. It’s easy to be in that “fine” state. You know that one. Someone asks how you’re doing, and you say, “Fine.”
Many of us live in “fine” for most of our lives. That’s okay.
I choose to live a life of more joy, as often as possible.
That requires courage. Because joy is often fleeting. That’s part of what makes joy so wonderful.
Joy Requires Courage
Think of the most recent time you felt joy. (I hope it was relatively recent.) What was the cause of that joy? For me, it was the Tartan Army last week with their life-based joy, challenging social norms. I mean, who walks through the streets of Boston in kilts with bagpipes? Who puts traffic cones on statues? Who drank all the beer? Yes, that Tartan Army.
The Tartan Army chose to challenge some social norms. That requires courage.
I am very fortunate to enjoy my grandchildren, too. They bring me a different kind of joy. I love watching them learn to use their bodies, learn to speak and read, and learn to play. They’re not afraid of failing. They keep picking themselves up to practice again. Why do they practice? To master this skill and move to the next.
That’s another kind of courage.
As adults, we might also bring gratitude to our courage and joy. I did not realize how much I practice gratitude until recently. Sure, I say thank you all the time to people who offer me help or a virtual hand. As I examine my life to keep what I want and shed what I do not, I realize how grateful I am for the experience of this life.
While I’ve practiced this shedding and keeping for decades, I did not realize I was also thankful to my past self for what I learned. (Yes, I’ll have to write more about gratitude later.)
The more we practice anything, the more joy we can take in its creation. We need the courage to continue so we can feel that joy.
Courage Counts As Much As Joy Does
I am delighted the Tartan Army was here in Boston and showed us all how to live with joy. They challenged a few social norms, which showed us how they use a little courage to find and use their joy. And they left us with the knowledge that we can choose to use our courage to find and use our own joy. What a gift they gave us. Thank you.