Joy

Perfect happiness is a beautiful sunset, the giggle of a grandchild, the first snowfall. It's the little things that make happy moments, not the grand events.

Joy comes in sips, not gulps.

~ Sharon Draper

For many people, the journey to achieve and enjoy happiness is ongoing. But while deep contentment and satisfaction may take a while to develop and recognize, happiness also arises in a more spontaneous version: joy. Joy is all around us. Joy feels good, connects us to life’s everyday richness, and strengthens our capacity to experience enduring contentment. I love our home because it is where joy lives; husband, animals, clean, secure, colorful, and comfortable.

Joy is an ephemeral spark and guidepost found in simple and surprising places. Many kinds of small exchanges and little things can make us feel free, lifted, and joyful. A surge of bright joy might fill our hearts when we hear a favorite song, catch a glimpse of a firefly’s ethereal glow, taste delicious food, or laugh with a loved one. Noticing and experiencing joy in our daily lives is an enlivening, fun, and illuminating practice. Some say individual moments of joy are actually the essence of the abiding happiness we seek.

Over time, acknowledging and savoring the joy we find in the little things can help us build a happy, grateful, and full life. Family, friends, music, books, hiking, my archery classes, and my beautiful horses are part of this life that I am grateful for!