Do You Experience Joy?

Joy is a deep-rooted feeling of ultimate contentment. Joy shows itself on your face and in your actions.

How often do you feel joy? Do you even think about having joy in your life? Do you know what brings you joy? Do you know what causes you to feel peace and contentment?

The pandemic has made me realize that the things I thought I wanted or what made me happy were not those things at all. The past 16 months have forced us to figure out what makes us happy and gives us joy.

A while ago, I realized that I had to stop focusing on what we couldn’t do during the pandemic and start looking for things that made me happy and gave me joy each day.

When we moved last year, we consciously chose to have a western exposure in our backyard. Warren and I sit on our back deck almost every night and watch the sunset, and it brings me incredible joy each evening. I love the multitude of colors; I love the peaceful feeling; I love sunsets.

I enjoy sitting by a campfire. Listening to the crickets, listening to the wood snap, enjoying the warmth.

I love waking up on my own before the alarm goes off, feeling rested, and not having to rush to get out of bed. It is a joy for me to take the mornings slowly. While I don’t get them every morning, I get them far more often than ever before, and I love that lazy morning feeling, even if it is at 7 am.

I love curling up on the couch (inside or out) and reading a book: no background music, no television, nothing to distract me at all. Sometimes I put the book down and just enjoy the sound of silence. It brings me joy.

Before the pandemic, I was guilty of having an overly full calendar. I always had something to do and somewhere to go. I often let work overtake my life. And while I truly love my job, I have realized that the little things in life bring me joy. I don’t think I knew that before we were forced to slow down.

Hugs bring me joy. Having a friend over for dinner or a visit brings me great joy. Seeing my parents, children, or grandson brings me more joy than I couldn’t have ever imagined. The company of people I love brings me great quantities of joy. Sometimes I have a big goofy smile on my face when I’m with my loved one, just because I am so happy to be with them again.

We have all heard that we need to stop and smell the roses. For most of us, the pandemic has taught us how much we needed to slow down.

However, now that things are picking back up again, will we repeat the old mistakes, or will we take the time to ensure joy stays in our life?

I know that I will continue to ensure that joy stays in my life.

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