Life is Joy The Joy of Living in the Present Often our lives are overwhelmed by being busy, planning, trying to catch up and doing and doing all the time. In the midst of all these we fail to live our life and thus miss the great joys of our life. For many of us today, joy might seem a stranger or at least an infrequent visitor whereas stress has become our life companion. Joy is feeling good and satisfied. It results from total acceptance of our present moment. Whenever we move away from the present moment and seek happiness at another time or place, we leave joy behind. When our being fully embraces what and where we are right now, we can't help but joyful. Have you observed what makes babies enjoy themselves? When they are with others or playing with a toy, they do not think of the past or future, rather they are fully alive in the present enjoying and living in the best. Knowing how to live the present moment, seeking out the positive, looking at life with optimism, being resourceful at every moment are some of the ways of being joyful. Joyful feelings about the present moment create positive attitudes which multiply the joy in us. Life has no other joys than what we do with it in the present moment. The present moment is the barometer of our life and the source of our joy. The celebrated Spanish Violinist, Pablo Casals adds, The secret of my long life is simple: I made a cult of living the present. For me, each day means a new birth and I repeat to myself: be happy." Live the present moment consciously and be joyful! ASHOK MAHAJAN Director, Rotary International (2007-09) Trustee, The Rotary Foundation (2008-13)