Finding Joy, Revisited

More than 10 years ago, I wrote a blog post about finding joy.

I think now is a good time to revisit this topic, as the world definitely needs a dose of joy. I really need to focus on finding joy in a world that is chaotic and out of control. People are stressed. People feel they have no control. Kids are home from school for weeks. Businesses are closing. People are urged to stay home. Hospitals are overrun with real or suspected coronavirus patients.

As I have grown older, I have spent more time searching for, and doing, the things that bring me joy. Being happy, and doing the things that make me happy, are of great importance. A friend recently mentioned that I look happiest when I am on safari in Africa (or traveling elsewhere). That is completely accurate.

What is joy, anyway? One dictionary defines joy as "the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation." What brings us joy, of course, can vary considerably from person to person.

For me, joy isn't found in possessions, but in experiences and feelings. I like having nice possessions, but while they may provide comfort and a certain amount of pleasure, they don't bring me joy. I have never been someone who has to have the newest or fanciest car, or the latest camera or cell phone. I like the things I have, and I am content to keep them.

My idea of joy is:

• Being retired and without daily obligations, allowing me to set my own schedule. 
• Being able to stay in bed as long as I want (or until my dogs get up).
• Being able to take a nap if I feel like it.
• Putting on my robe, drinking a cup of hot tea and reading a book on my Kindle, and holding the world at a distance for even a short time.
• Traveling to new places, camera/s in hand.
• Spending time engrossed in a book 
• Revisiting some of the many digital photos I have taken during travel to so many amazing places
• Listening to a favorite piece of music over and over again because hearing it once just isn't enough.
• Studying a beautiful photograph and trying to learn how to improve my own photos.
• Listening to Leontyne Price or Charlotte Church hit those incredibly high notes in some of their songs and being in awe at the magnificence of their voices.
• Working on a piece of writing, manipulating the sentences and individual words until it's just right.
• Taking a photograph and seeing that I captured it just as I had envisioned it.
• Editing an image to make it even more beautiful.
• Watching dogs running and playing, ears flapping, tongues hanging out as they chase after each other.
• Hiking or walking in a beautiful area in total silence, the only sound being the crunch  of my boots on the dirt and leaves. 
• Listening to classical music on the radio

These are some of the things that bring me joy. And they cannot be bought for any amount of money. They are priceless.

I hope I can become more aware of the joyful possibilities around me, in simple activities, in the beauty of nature or in the creations of humans blessed with a magnificent voice or the skills to compose music or take an awe-inspiring photograph. I can learn from the actions of my dogs, who don't carry grudges, who are always happy to see me, who jump up each morning ready to greet a new day, and who get excited at the preparations for a walk, no matter we have walked that route hundreds of times already.

Joy can be found all around us. We just need to look for it and open ourselves to its presence. My joyful place is found outside, while taking photographs, enjoying a hike or just walking on a beautiful day.

What brings you joy?