Joy

No one can infiltrate the things that bring you joy because joy springs from within, and happiness lives outside ourselves. – author unknown

The best description I can provide of people with an innate capability for consistent joy is that they are reincarnated angels who have managed to keep their spiritual glow. Their internal glow of joy, seems to be of the mystical world.

Children are great examples of angelic joy, especially this holiday time of year. Everything is exciting. They revel in being alive, their eyes aglow, and their smiles rampant. They are riveting in joy when they perform a song on stage with their peers singing Jingle Bells. There will be at least one doing a dance that may look like they are doing spurts of squats, with a huge smile showing their missing two front teeth. When we see that child dancing, we have discovered the lead angel. Do you think maybe these little angels, once grown, forget who they are, or did we adults or life circumstances suck it out of them along the way? Were you once an angel? Was I an angel once upon a time? I hope so.

I’ve often confused joy with happiness and lumped them into the same bucket, treating them as though they were not different.

But they are—different, I mean. As the quote at the beginning of this blog indicates, joy is part of our core self, while happiness is a result of something external happening. I struggle to identify with joy. It doesn’t continuously live within me. Then again, maybe I’m expecting too much to think it should always be a part of my being.

Think about the people in your life whose presence exudes joy. Their eyes sparkle; their smiles are genuine; and their spirit is infectious. We may not always be aware of it, but their joy is palpable and enriches our own lives.

I have found a few adults who, despite their experiences of boulders being tossed onto their shoulders, their spirits still shine, with their eyes all aglow. I can think of three ladies in my life who exuded joy and impacted my spirit. Their joyful presence brought me happiness and helpfulness.

Virginia: An adult mentor during my teenage years. She battled a life-threatening cancer. Intense treatments went on for a couple of years. Whenever I saw her, though, her eyes sparkled, and her smile was bright. She had an intense faith and credited faith for sustaining her throughout the ordeal. Her resilience was a source of inspiration for me.

Cindy: We met the day she finished her chemo treatment, and I began mine at what we called “The Drip Lounge.” We were the same age of 45. Her sparkling eyes and smile were evident the moment we introduced ourselves to each other. A friendship ensued. Several years later, she would tell me, “The cancer has metastasized.” She didn’t go into a poor-pitiful-me mode. As I sat on the end of her sofa where she lay during her final days on earth, we talked, and she managed to smile.

Joy: Yes, that’s her given name. I call her “My Joy-Joy.” I’ve known her through interactions with church activities for many years. You’ll be glad to know she didn’t or doesn’t have cancer. She is in her eighties now and doing well. When she smiles, her eyes twinkle. As it is for most of us, life has thrown her some serious boulders to carry, including the death of a young daughter who was born with a disability. When I interact with her, I feel my heart lighten. I find myself talking to her with ease. I feel happy and heard during our conversations, much like I did with Virginia and Cindy.

These three maintained their joy in spite of all they endured—at least, it seems that way. I don’t know how they and others who have suffered from anguishing experiences hold onto joy in their spirits, but it seems there are those who hold onto their internal joy.

Is it a faith thing? An attitude thing? A combination of both? All three of these ladies were people of faith. But I know many faith-based people who don’t consistently exude sparkling eyes and upright smiles of joy, including me. I can give you plenty of excuses for not having ongoing joy exude from my being, but for now, I’ll spare you. But, my life burdens don’t come close to dying young, or burying a child.

As I write this blog, I struggle to dissect this phenomenon of joy. But here’s what I’ve come up with:

Hope – a better day awaits.
Love- given and received cures most anything.
Friendships -sustain us.
Connection – with people that surround and support us.

Is it all of the above? Virginia, Cindy, and Joy were connected to people. They loved, and were loved by their people from church, friends, and family.

It seems to me the formula is: Hope + Love + Friendships + Connections = Joy.

Or it could be that those people with sparkling eyes and smiles are the adults who held onto their angelic reincarnation. Watch for them carefully; they may be the ones who dance when Jingle Bells play.

May joy live in your spirit, at least most days. I hope the thoughts shared in this blog inspire you to seek joy in your life.