I
noticed something the other morning. I had joined one of those groups that
track high school yearbooks and class members, something I ordinarily wouldn't
do. Still, after more than half a century, I got curious to see if any of my
classmates were connected to this particular software. There was a copy of our
yearbook online, so I spent an hour or so meandering through the pages,
recognizing names but not faces and faces but not names. I checked up on several
former classmates and then forgot the whole thing.
This
week I got an email from the group saying someone had left me a note! Who on
earth? It turns out it was the son of a dear friend, the woman who introduced
me to the Episcopal Church. The son was a couple of classes ahead of me in
school. Still, since I visited their house in DC for several weeks each year, I
got a crush on this guy (I also had a crush on another summer with his brother).
Of all the people I had gone to school with, this fellow was probably the last
one I expected to hear from. Still, after reading his note, I noticed I had a
feeling of something I hadn't felt in quite a while: joy. Heck, he's been
married since forever, so it wasn't an offer to rekindle an old relationship,
just a "hi, how are you?" kind of thing. Still, it gave me great
pleasure to hear from him.
It
made me think that the feeling of joy was something I hadn't felt in quite some
time. I don't consider my life as being
miserable, or portraying a down-in-the-dumps appearance to people I interact
with. I like living in my trailer with my cats, doing what I like when I like,
staying home most of the time without wanting to go out anywhere that I don't
have to go. I love finishing what I have to do when I go out so I can dash back
home and relax. I enjoy talking to a few friends by Facebook, telephone, or
text message, but I don't need to be in contact with a lot of people. I'm satisfied
with life, so imagine my surprise at feeling happy that someone I hadn't heard
from (and wasn't particularly close to friend-wise) all these years later?
It
then occurred to me that perhaps I had been overlooking little things that have
given me even small bits of joy. Walking out of my house early in the morning
to be greeted with fresh air and a welcoming cat who is waiting for his
breakfast – now that I think of it, that's a joy to me, especially since the
temperature will be over 100 degrees later in the morning. I can now and then
get a scent of rain, even if we don't get any (it evaporates before it hits the
ground). Watching the rain and sitting
in my living room enjoying a thunderstorm is immensely pleasurable, since I am
indoors, dry, and have at least two of the three cats hanging around. A new
book, new knitting pattern or project, finding ways to solve problems that
require new skills, all give me a feeling of satisfaction and, yes, joy. I had
just been overlooking them.
Proverbs
is one book of the Bible that has something for just about every occasion. In
looking up the word "joy," I found, "A glad
heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is
broken. The mind of one who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the
mouths of fools feed on folly. All the days of the poor are hard, but a
cheerful heart has a continual feast" (15:13-15).
It's
hard to have a glad heart these days, it seems. It's a little easier if one
ignores the news media, but somehow it's the way we keep in touch with the
world and what is going on everywhere else, other than our back yard or even
our street. Lots of pictures of cute kittens (and puppies and other baby animals)
help, and, for many, it's the only reason to get on social media at all.
Somehow baby animals (or even baby humans) lighten the mood and bring smiles
even when the heart is heavy. They are
innocent, do cute things, and aren't trying to convince us of anything. They
are just themselves, and we are happier for having seen them. Pictures of beautiful
places help take us away from our mundane lives, and occasionally we vow to
visit those places "when all this is over." Then we wonder, will it
ever be totally over?
I have an
online friend who is a craftsperson specializing in stamping and paper crafts. Today
someone had sent her a bunch of stamps that she no longer needed. The joy
of the online friend receiving the package and seeing what was in it was
palpable. It was good to see the pleasure something like that will bring, even
in unsettled times.
There
are a lot more verses about joy in the Bible, and it can be a joyful experience
just to look for them. Psalm 30:5 reminds us that "Weeping may linger for
the night, but joy comes in the morning." We sometimes forget that, even
though it is a reasonably familiar verse. Still, it deserves attention,
especially in dark times like these. It makes me think that I can help bring
joy to someone else with a simple gesture like smiling (they can see the skin
around my eyes crinkle over the edge of my mask), using pleasantries like "please,”
"thank you," and "excuse me" in daily conversations (even
with rude people), or crafting a gift or a card for a friend who lives down the
street or even across the country.
Take
the gift of joy wherever you can find it, and then pass it on to someone else.
Joy shared is joy doubled, and that's not a bad thing these days.
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