About a year and a half ago, at the suggestion of a wise friend, I began a joy journal. It is a place for me to list each day one or more things that brought me joy. It is a way for me to pay closer attention, to notice the bits of joy already present in my life. This taking note of joy has been a helpful practice.
After a few days, I noticed a pattern.
Walking.
Feeling.
Laughing.
Discovering.
Engaging.
I was writing -ing verbs. Actions. The things that were bringing me joy were things I was playing an active role in. If joy is something my actions effect, then I can make finding joy a practice. I can cultivate joy. I can care for, nurture joy in my life and trust that it would blossom in its time. I can be intentional about doing something each day that brings me joy. It could be something as simple as noticing the sun filtering through the trees. It could be texting a note of encouragement to someone who is struggling. It could be showing up and being fully present with family. I can cultivate joy.
Joy is something I can cultivate, and it is a gift. I cannot call up joy on command. Indeed, there are some nights when I write in my journal that I struggle to find a moment of joy from my day. Most days I can find something. Some brief moment of wonder, or moment of gratitude, or small act of courage. These hard days remind me of the importance of noticing. My days tend to be a mix of delight and difficulty. Some days the balance is more toward delight. Some days the balance is heavy with difficulty. Even on these days, if I have been paying attention, I can recall some moment of delight. Joy is there to be recognized more often than I once expected.
May you find joy in this day. May noticing joy become a practice which brings you delight. May you grow to trust that even on days when the balance is heavy with difficulty, delight is still to be found. May you come to find joy more often than you ever expected. Peace and joy to you.
Rachael