Real Joy is Mine when...

In the midst of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.
-- Albert Camus

As romantic as it sounds, Camus's is a pretty accurate picture of Joy. When I was young, I thought joy and happiness were the same thing, and maybe it was, at that age. But as I grow older, I'm finding that joy is more like a shimmery silver thread that runs through my days, even on dark, wintry ones. It's the simple things that seem to make me smile - a hot cup of coffee on cold mornings, a brand new plant poking out of the earth from a seed I planted last week, my favorite cashmere scarf wrapped around me when I'm curled up to read, books, books, and more books, stumbling on a perfect set of words to phrase what I want to say, the days when my hair falls into place, sharing a joke with my son, holding my cat, feeding the birds, walks in the woods, waking up to a day off, going to my yoga class, and on and on I can keep going. Some of these might seem like pleasures, simple pleasures mostly, but they bring me genuine joy. So as Martha Beck suggests in her North Star book, I try to create joy by "putting joyful activities into every nook and cranny" of my day.

Strangely enough for me, tears are also a sign of joy - when I'm touched by a gesture, moved by a story, feel a connection with a person, a feeling of deep love, and giving. They all make me tap into my joy. A lot of times, these seem to just happen - they are usually moments I can't necessarily create; even giving, unless it's meaningful giving. But I try to stay open for them to happen when they do come my way.

I figured I spent enough of my life going after good grades, good behavior, good jobs, promotions and pleasing other people. I realize now that none of those things mean much to me. The life I built around me, of home, family, and work, keeps going on the tracks I built - I just have to make sure the train stays on the tracks; but at the same time I can enjoy the scenery around me - the little pleasures and simple joys to make this journey pleasant.

And so the best way I found to invite joy into my life is to slow down. That seems to open up me, my time and my day - to receive those moments of grace, when the world seems like it couldn't be more perfect; when it feels like I could burst if I get anymore joyful.

Folks, Thanks for reading! How do you define joy? What makes you joyful? Can you create joy? If so, how?