Finding Joy

“Discovering more joy does not, save us from the inevitability of hardship and heartbreak. In fact, we may cry more easily, but we will laugh more easily too. Perhaps we are just more alive. Yet as we discover more joy, we can face suffering in a way that ennobles rather than embitters.” – Desmond Tutu

Lately I have found myself searching for joy. I have felt, along with millions of others, that things are overwhelmingly hard. It is easy to fall into despair. Even strangers I speak to tell me how unhappy and scared they are. They tell me that they are asking their doctors for meds to help with their anxiety or to help them sleep. Times are hard, but we cannot become hardened by what’s happening, we cannot allow what’s happening to take away our joy. Without our joy we become hardened.

I think for the first time in my life time “white” folks know what it feels like to be targeted. And it’s scary and new for those of us who are white. Our Black siblings understand that joy is not only an action of resistance, but also a way to celebrate the good things in life. We white folks have always had some trouble with this. And maybe it’s because we have had it so much easier than POC.

I think it’s important that we start to learn to find joy. We need to find joy that comes from within and celebrates the good things in life.

The more I think about joy the more I understand that having joy is not a privilege, but a human right. People have always found joy in times of strife. It amazes me is that children and youth can play, dance and laugh no matter how bad things are. We can look at Palestine and see children and youth dancing in the debris. It reminds us that life is about making things happen that fill our hearts with joy.

I have decided that I will do everything I can to speak out about what’s happening in this country and in the world and that I will feel good about that. I will find the silver linings in this mess that we are in. I hope the silver linings I have found can be of help to you too.

Here are a few of them:

One of the silver linings is watching and listening to babies, children and youth. Babies live in the moment. They smile easily. They cry when they don’t feel good and then they move on. Sometimes their entire mood can change in a moment. And lately I also find I go easily from despair to joy. And that’s okay.

Children are good at finding ways to feel better. It can be through music, their friends, reading, being alone, creating. There are so many ways that they instinctively look for things to help them feel better in hard times, even when it’s personally hard for them. I do know that youth have a harder time with this, but many of them do find ways to feel joyful.

Another thing I find joy in is walking in nature and it is enhanced when I am walking my dog. Moving my body among the trees and the soft ground covered in pine needles, leaves, moss or grasses, breathing the air as I walk and listening to the sounds of birds, small animals scurrying, the scent of the trees and rotting leaves are all transforming. All my senses come alive. It is a reminder that things change, that the earth is strong, and although there is much hardship and pain, we are all connected to this wonderful planet that nourishes us and offers us so much beauty.

Community is another thing that brings me joy. I walked into the Vestry last Sunday and saw all the posters for the march on April 5^th. I smiled and felt connected to our church community. Knowing we are all working towards the same goal: To create a world that is loving, accepting and caring for all its citizens.

I find joy in art. Creating it, looking at it, making it with other people. Art not only helps me escape for a while, but it allows me to connect with my true self. Even when I create art I don’t like, the process brings me to a calm place inside.

I hope you have some silver linings and some things that you can focus on that bring you joy. Feel free to share your joys in the comments.

We are living through very difficult times. We are concerned about our neighbors, our futures, our children, immigrants we don’t even know. We are overwhelmed by the news and can easily feel that we have no hope or control. Those feelings can lead us down dark tunnels. We need to remember that we are more powerful together, more joyful together and have more love when we work together. Find your joy. It may not make the time we live in any easier, but it will make us more human.