How often do you experience pure joy? Is it tied to circumstances? Can joy be measured? Where does it come from? Has joy been conditioned out of us?
People often interchange the words happiness and joy. Happiness is different. Happiness happens to us and is often conditional. For example, I am happy that friends are coming to visit, or I’m happy because I passed the test.
The emotion of happiness is fleeting and often tied to circumstances. Joy, which is highly regenerative, has a different quality.
“Joy is to fun what the deep sea is to a puddle. It’s a feeling inside that
Terry Pratchett, a hat full of sky
can hardly be contained.”
State of Being
Joy is our energetic life force and natural state. There’s a buoyancy to joy that uplifts and grounds us. When we are in joy, we can trust that all is well. We experience a liberation and deep connection to all that is.
JOY is Sacred and Springs from Our Soul.
“When you do things from your soul,
Rumi
you feel a river moving in you, a
joy.”
We often use Metaphors to Communicate this Elevated Emotional State.
Fountain of joy, vessel of joy, springs of joy; a copious stream, flowing from a never-ending source, a fountain of wisdom never exhausted, a musical symphony of emotion.
We Describe Joy with Expressive Language.
Perpetual joy, outrageous joy, exuberant joy, a calm and quiet joy
We are Made for Joy!
We are a receptacle, a vessel of joy. We often will describe children as expressing pure joy. Their eyes twinkle as they freely discover and laugh with abandonment.
Have you lost the ability to unleash your joy? Joy does not need to be created. We are JOY and that joy can be called forth and experienced no matter the circumstances. Joy is buoyant and can hold and nourish us in seasons of grief. I recall the loss of my sister during Covid. The grief felt unbearable, and yet at the same time I could summon my innate JOY to help me better cherish the memories and depth of love we shared. Joy helps to comfort us and heals our hearts.
Well, that’s my perspective. Now it’s your turn….
How do you define JOY? How does it show up in your life? I would love to hear from you:
In closing, I share our family mantra that we engraved on a plaque now hanging on the wall: Live Boldly in Outrageous Joy. Together We Can Do Anything! -Norwoods & Burke
