Free Write: Joy

Joy is the way through. 

Joy is an act of rebellion against the grayed out abyss life sends us toward.

Joy is connection to life force, scientific discovery, god, nature, the divine.

It is felt in laughter, in movement, in smirks between strangers. It is jokes held by loved ones for years, dusted off in laughter.

To be joyful amidst a world of suffering feels selfish. What is the alternative? Collectively bowing to the heavy yoke of pain and grief placed around our neck.

Joy is the iron-will fired in our pain to add no more suffering to another: stranger or friend.

Joy is a radical defiance of self-loathing and want that feeds and feeds and feeds consumption. It is freedom from a fragile ego.

Joy is knowing we are here for a short time. Waking each day aware that there will be an end. That the purpose is unknown. That everything is temporary. Why then would we choose anything else?

Gratitude is a cairn, guiding the weary way back to joy when we forget what is waiting for us there…

Placing a meal in front of a hungry face, an old friend at the airport, warm sand running barefoot to waves, sunshine on skin, music moving thousands of bodies at once. A dream opportunity come to life, a much anticipated yes. Cherub faces giggling as parents toss them into the sky. Learning the world through new eyes. A companion of another species.

It is a gentle, vibrant understanding of how ridiculous it is to be alive.

Joy is singing, sport, little birds whistling in the morning, croissants on tiny china. 

Joy is a swell in suffering that helps us get to the other side.

Joy is pure love seeing the object of its intimacy succeed.

Joy is connecting to others around a table, taking time to enjoy teeny tomatoes in the garden, and encouraging a stranger.

Joy can be placed in objects, like cards, flowers, songs, and food. It can be given and received.

Joy is contagious.