January Joy: Little Steps

My Joy Report

Six months ago, inspired by a friend’s joy report, I wrote my own. (The same friend also recently wrote an end-of-2020 joy report.) Seeing as we are in the midst of a new beginning (i.e., a new year, a new president, the continuation of a new normal), it seemed fitting that I also should explore this topic again. Even when I’m not writing about joy, though, I think about it often. But I believe that it’s a useful exercise to put it in writing and share it with others. Joy, I think, can be contagious–and, in fact, it is one thing we do want to spread these days.

Sadness and Joy

I’ve intentionally picked today–January 28th–to write and publish this post because today is my mom’s birthday. She died six weeks ago, so I am celebrating her birthday without her. She would have been 78 today. Although I miss her so much–at times, painfully so–I feel gratefulness (an aspect of joy) for the time I was able to spend with her throughout my life. Amidst the heartache, I am looking for the sweetness of today, both figuratively and literally. Later, I will treat myself to a chocolate brownie and sing a song to her. Through my sadness, I will feel the joy of having had her in my life for as long as I did.

Hope and Joy

If 2020 ended with an enduring form of sadness, though, 2021 began with an enduring form of hope. The shock and tragedy of insurrectionists storming the Capitol gave way to a Presidential Inauguration like no other, with poet Amanda Gorman reading her own hope-filled words, words with which to heal. Unifying words. Words that evoke not just hope but also joy for that promise of hope.

Science and Joy

Strange as it may sound, I also experienced a joyful thrill when, a week ago, my 83-year-old dad was able to get his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The pandemic-induced urgency and anxiety that I (and many others) have experienced throughout the last ten months won’t be quelled completely any time soon, but I felt a surge of joy for the promise of science and medicine, that this strange world we’ve been living in for ten months may soon give way to a new and safer kind of normalcy. (I don’t actually think normalcy will happen soon, but there’s still a sense of relief in seeing the promise of it. There’s also relief in knowing that my dad will soon have some protection against this devastating virus.)

Joyful Interactions

My joy comes from memories and from human interaction, even if that interaction is virtual. I meet with other writers on Zoom every Monday night and find it to be one of the most heartening parts of my week. My sister, dad, and I have masked and socially-distanced brunches every Sunday (the three of us sit a good six feet or more from each other as we eat). I speak and text regularly with good friends. All of these things bring me joy, and they do so in a way that is probably more enduring and meaningful than such activities would have been prior to the pandemic. Because now I don’t take these interactions for granted, the way I might have previously taken for granted a quick coffee with friends in a cafe. Interactions since the pandemic began have become much more intentional and significant. More joyful.

And, for me, joy also comes from canine interaction. The time I get to spend with my 15-year-old dog, Rosie, is, admittedly, a lot of time since I rarely leave the house and if I do, she generally comes with me. She’s an old dog and at times quite grumpy, but I value her companionship and perhaps even more so since the isolation of the pandemic.

Joy Comes in Little Steps

This January marks the start of my third year in business, and one of the most joyful things in my life is getting up in the morning to do work that brings me pleasure and gives me a strong sense of fulfillment. I, of course, have you–my readers, clients, supporters, friends, and family–to thank for that. Getting to where I am today took a lot of little steps, including some steps backwards (as tends to happen sometimes). I continue on this business journey with a heart full of gratitude and joy.

At the nudging of a friend and fellow business owner, this year I made a list of goals. Many of the goals are business-oriented goals, but some are professional goals of a different nature, focused on my development as a creative writer and as a writing professional, in general. A couple of months ago, I wrote about rejection as a writer, the necessity of it. Rejection letters are signs of progress; they are steps along the way because amongst the rejections, there are also successes. Earlier this month, I felt joy when my 10-word story made the shortlist in Briefly Write‘s “Write 10, Win 10” contest. And this little step of success was followed by another little step when I received an acceptance of a longer story (due out online on February 1). It’s these little props along the way that help remind me that I’m making progress–to continue on this joyful path.

Go Spread Joy

Joy can come in big bursts, but it more often comes in little everyday drizzles. It comes from our individual journeys, those little steps we take on our way to something else. Joy comes from within, and it comes from others.

We don’t always know what is going to bring someone else joy. It could be a simple exchange at the coffee house drive-thru, the baristas complimenting your dog’s sweater as they hand you a cup of chicken to give your dog. And to your dog, that chicken may be joy. She consumes it quickly in the front seat of your car, basking in the sheer joy of the moment. (Dogs seem to be great at living in the joy of each moment.) And looking at her joy as she devours the treat, you might feel joy, too.

And if there’s one thing that we want to be spreading nowadays, it’s definitely joy.