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Have you noticed that, except for around Christmas, we don’t really talk about joy? At the holidays we wish “Joy to the World!” but in the day-to-day we don’t think much about it.
Joy is a deep emotion, and an important one. It is different than happiness, which comes in reaction to an event and leaves again. Joy comes from inside and is connected to the important things we value. (Check out this Mayo Clinic article about finding joy and its impact on health.)
Luckily, joy is something that we can cultivate. We don’t have to wait for it to come to us. If we pay attention, we can grow our joy.
So how to grow joy? Here are a couple of ideas:
- Look for joy. In our day there are so many little things that can give us joy—a good-looking field, a hug from a spouse, a tug-of-war with the dog. Let’s stop for a minute and let the joy soak in.
- Listen for joy. Is there a piece of music that always makes you smile? (I always grin if I listen to Willie Nelson.) Do you love the sound of birds in the morning? How about eavesdropping on a little kid singing to themself? Let’s be still, listen, and feel the joy.
- Share the joy. What’s the old saying about blessings that are shared are doubled, and troubles are halved? Let’s share the things that give us joy with someone else. Take pictures on our phone of that sunset and send them to a friend. Give a hug. Say out loud that we are grateful for something. There are people in the world who bring us joy just because they are part of our world (I’m thinking of you, Steve). Let’s tell them so.
What things grow your joy?
Let’s each find 3 things today that bring joy. Let’s cultivate our joy.
What a great crop that will be, and it will keep us all thriving!