Joy in the Little Things

Joy in the Little Things

By Darla Isackson

What brings you joy? Making or listening to a certain kind of music? Cooking? Creating? Reading scripture or an inspirational book? Playing with a pet or a grandchild? Viewing a breathtaking sunrise or sunset?

A few years ago, I visited a friend at her condo on the beach of Seabrook Island just off the coast of South Carolina. I arrived late afternoon and watched the sun set and a big yellow moon rise. The next morning, I awoke just before dawn and couldn’t go back to sleep. I crept quietly out of bed and stole out the back door where I could watch the sun rise over the ocean. The dark sky had begun to lighten and thin, in anticipation of the dawn. The moon was still visible, but fading. Silhouettes became etched with more and more detail as the light increased.

I watched in wonder as the clouds on the horizon took on an ever-increasing rosy hue. Suddenly, the top arch of the sun leapt up above the water, bright, glowing, rosy orange. The sun grew steadily into a flaming ball that transformed the sky and sea with rays of radiant light. The rosy orange faded into a glowing border as the main body of the sun shone a more and more brilliant yellow. The pink under the clouds burnt away to gray as the sun climbed higher in the sky. The glow around the sun grew increasingly bright and white; the light changed the ocean landscape from a mysterious blur to clear and crisp beauty.

It’s a little thing to watch sunrises and sunsets, yet I found joy in it, and though years have passed since that experience, I find joy in remembering it.

Little Things Can Bring Joy

Most joy comes from little things: maybe from sitting by a fire with a good book on a cold winter day, maybe sipping hot chocolate and listening to a favorite symphony. What brings joy to you?

Nature is a dependable source of joy for me, as you would guess from my sunrise experience. One day, my husband called me into the backyard to see an amazing double rainbow. I felt joy!  I love to carefully examine flowers and leaves in my own yard, marveling over the intricate designs. I love waterfalls, and I love the canyons. One day, I drove up the Alpine Loop and stopped at a favorite place where a gurgling mountain stream made its way down the mountain surrounded by a variety of pines, quaking aspens, and thick forest undergrowth. I got out of the car, breathing in the fragrance. I sat beside that stream for a few minutes, immersing myself in the peace and quiet of the setting. I felt joy.

Joy with Children

Joy often comes from pleasant moments with loved ones, especially children. Whenever I visit my three youngest grandchildren, they greet me with huge smiles and hugs that warm me all over and make my heart swell with happiness. One day, I took two-year-old Ephraim and four-year-old Ellie home with me, and we played in the backyard. What a beautiful sight to see the children playing in the sunlight. Later, worn out, I was able to get Ephraim to sleep next to me and enjoyed the peace of his angelic presence. Later, I had Ephraim on my left knee and Ellie on my right as I read to them. For a while, Ellie was patting my hair and my ear and Ephraim was hanging onto my hand. Full of life, they got the giggles, and their infectious laughter spilled over on me. I felt joy.

When I can’t be with my grandchildren, I can find joy from slideshows on my computer of pictures I’ve taken of them. Many grandparents find joy from using Facetime or Skyping with grandchildren.

Joy in Laughter, Often Brought by Animals

Laughter is joy you can hear. Humor is so often a little thing, yet it brings joy in the moment. Animals are a good source of it. Our cat’s curiosity makes us laugh when she wants to explore every little space and when she hears the printer start up and always runs to watch the paper pop out.

Jean A. Moore told of a moment at the zoo that made her laugh: “I know animals have a sense of humor. Our family was in Washington D.C. and paid an early morning visit to the zoo. In the elephant enclosure, they were just filling the pool. One of the elephants discovered that if he held his trunk over the pipe of water running into the pool, he could squirt the humans that were walking by the enclosure and make them squeal and run. He knew exactly what he was doing, and he repeated the joke every time a new group of victims came down the path. He was getting his elephant jollies.”

If the antics of puppies or kittens make you laugh, Google “Funny puppy videos” or “Funny kitten videos” and watch what pops up. If you like to get out and about and animals bring you joy, you may want to volunteer at the Humane Society or an animal shelter. They are usually glad to have volunteers come and play with the animals to keep them more people-friendly and adoptable. (I have two granddaughters who do that.)

Re-learning Joy

A Chinese proverb states, “Even a feather can teach us to rejoice if we are willing to learn joy.” Joy seems to come so naturally to a child, but as adults sometimes we need to “re-learn” joy. Look back at what brought you joy as a child and try to bring at least a hint of that same thing into your life now. If climbing trees brought you joy but is out of the question now, invite some grandchildren or neighbor kids to climb the best climbing tree in your yard. If singing solos brought you joy but you wouldn’t dare sing alone anymore, check out senior centers for one that has a senior choir, or listen to some of the songs you most enjoyed earlier in your life.

Even mundane activities can bring joy if they are meaningful to you. Writer Edward M. Hallowell said, “If you’re busy doing what matters to you, then being busy is bliss.” Re-learn joy by keeping busy with things that matter.

Joy has little to do with circumstances and everything to do with focus. We re-learn joy by focusing on memories, images, thoughts, books, music, people that re-light the sparkler of joy in our hearts.

Joy in Savoring the Moment

A while back, I took some grandchildren to a park I had taken my sons to many times when they were young. The return was full of nostalgia. The gazebo and play equipment were new, but the layout was the same, and the same great trees still spread leafy branches over the park. We walked by the river; the children giggled and ran down a small hill and picked handfuls of dandelions, then ran onto the bridge and threw them into the river. My heart swelled with the sight of them, so full of life, so happy. I stood on the bridge and watched the water, swift from spring runoff, carry the bright yellow baubles out of sight. I savored the moment, and I felt joy.

I also found joy from the message in this experience—life goes on, and the past is “water under the bridge.” Every spring, the rivers run full, and the water goes swirling and gurgling on its way. Every year, the dandelions bloom, and now I’m watching a whole new generation of children pick them. That small moment was precious. But then, so many moments are. We can savor those joyful moments when they happen, focus on them, bring them to memory when we need a refresher course in joy.

We can choose to do what it takes to recapture our joy, even if we can only maintain it for a few minutes at a time. We can all focus our minds on the little things that bring joy for us personally. We can make a positive decision to re-learn joy today from the little things of life!