The Power of Joy
Webster’s provides multiple, albeit similar, definitions of “Joy.”
“ 1a: the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires : delight
b: the expression or exhibition of such emotion : gaiety”
I believe both of these definitions are relatively accurate. What I find disturbing in our current world is the notion that “joy” is largely a matter of happenstance. Too often we believe that joy is a thing we stumble across but, in large part, are powerless to manifest. Few things could be further from truth.
Every day we read or hear stories of our fellow human “discovering,” or having torn away from us. A near victory we cannot grasp, or the loss of which is far beyond our control. We don’t win the lottery, sure things escape us. We conclude from the experiences of our lives that joy is elusive at best. Yet it seems this isn’t actually true. Joy is as much a matter of perspective as any other moment of our lives and we are as able to think about moments of joy as we are moments of deep sorrow.
The loss of a parent, the birth of a healthy, happy child. While these events may be of equal consequence in the scope of our lives we need not let one overshadow our existence versus the other. If you can (and I believe you can) remember the most perfect day of your life. Whether one filled with warming sunshine or an evening with a loved one in front of a fireplace. What is it you “feel” recalling that day, that moment? If it lifts your heart and fills your soul THAT is what matters. THAT is what lifts us up and sustains us. Certainly, it is not always easy to recall and hold onto the memory of such moments when we face troubles and heartache, yet those joyful moments are as much a part of our history, are as much a part of our makeup as those that have caused us grief.
No one I know can recall, in a moment, something that brings joy regardless of their present circumstances. I’ve lost loved ones and felt the weight of the moment upon me. I wonder how I’ll go on without them until I finally realize that I won’t. Instead I focus us the wonderful moments we shared. I realize that, truly, within me a part of them continues. I can always remember the just washed fragrance of my paternal grandmother, and the scent of Vick’s on my maternal grandmother. I remember the scent of the California Pepper of my youth as I’d hike the nearby hills. The taste and texture of the fruit of the Nopales that covered the local hills.
What I tend to forget as an adult, is that I always have the power to recall those things over others that are a source of pain or sorrow. There is no reason I can’t choose to focus on the music I grew up loving instead of a song that leaves me feeling sad. I don’t understand why I, and likely you, tend to forget this option.
On the planet Tralfamadore we meet the Tralfamadorians. Creations of the writer Kurt Vonnegut in his book Slaughterhouse Five. In the Universe of the Tralfamadorians Time itself is fixed, much like a road. We are free to travel along it from point to point but we are restricted to it and unable to make any changes since past, present and future are immutable. I’m not sure my view of time mirrors that of the Tralfamadorians but I believe it’s at least worth consideration.
I do know that I have no power to change the past and it is foolish me to pine away over it whether it’s a source of joy or sorrow. That said, I DO have the power to remember the past and lift up every joyful member. I have the power to allow joy to restore my heart and soul. I don’t know if the practice of focusing on sources of joy instead of sorrow are what drove the Tralfamadorians but I know that when I choose to recall days with the sun upon my face, nights laughing with friends of family, listening to songs that fill my heart and mind with wonderful visions - the world I’m in doesn’t ever feel unbearable. At the very least it leaves me with a smile upon my face and the taste of hope, for tomorrow.