Joy is Strategic
A cup of joy.
Recently, I encountered a new word thanks to tinybuddha.com - exhausterwhelmulated. It is a magnificent portmanteau, a word generated by the blending of one or more other words or sounds, that stands for being exhausted, overwhelmed, and over stimulated all at once. This word encapsulates exactly how I’ve been feeling. What about you? Does this describe your life lately?
There has been way too much information coming in from all sides, and most of it is negative, frustrating, sad, and unsettling. It can get you down. There are days when I’ve got the blues, and there have been some really tough days in my life. What I’ve learned is that I had what it took to get through them, and I know that you can too! I discovered that looking for the smallest bit of joy got me through the darkest of times. Yes, joy is there, but you may have to search for it. You may need to relearn the meaning of what joy is. There is a big difference between joy and happiness, they are not the same.
Here is a list of examples I generated this morning:
My seed order arrived in the mail this week.
Sitting quietly in the same room with my husband.
Calling my mom, or video chatting with my children.
Getting together with my book club.
Meeting Monday mornings with my fellow artists and working independently on our projects.
Coffee with a friend(s).
Doing chores.
Getting up out of bed in the morning.
Feeling the sun on my face while out shoveling the snow.
Receiving kindness from a stranger.
My list is not exhaustive, but I wanted to show you that for me, joy doesn’t have to be a big thing, and it isn’t always something that is sustained over a long period of time. Joy for me, is in the small things, that you might miss if you are not in the present moment. What I have learned is that you can train yourself to find joy. Joy can be the antidote for fear or burnout. (Short article on the power of joy during hard times.) These little bits of joy can be the way that we maintain our hope in the midst of all the hullabaloo going on around us.
I’ve come across a lot of different content creators who are reminding all of us that we can’t lose hope. We are inundated with the news of mass firings of key government workers in roles of health and national security; mass deportations of individuals that are key to our farming and healthcare systems; cuts in programs that provide social safety nets to the most needy in our society and around the world; large numbers of individuals hospitalized due to flu and a measles outbreak; and the breakdown of our relationships with our foreign allies. I mean I could go on, but what I want you to remember is that our country has gone through tough times before and we can get through this.
One message of hope I heard was that “Joy is strategic!” When I think of the word strategy, I picture the plotting and planning to carry off something big. I think of people gathering together to talk, learn, and teach each other. I think of things happening underground and popping up like new slogans, music, and posters. The arts have a role in helping to bring joy to people whether they are making it, participating in it, or simply hearing or viewing it. Think about all the bruhaha over the Super Bowl Half Time show - the poetry of lyrics, the rhythms of the music, and the expression of joy through the movement of the dancers. There is power in joy! Joy is resistance!
This week, take time to find those little bits of joy in your life that can uplift your spirit. Perhaps you can share those with others who are finding it hard to feel joy or hope. It is through our connections that we can strategically pass on the joy. Let’s start a joyful movement!
With joy and hope,
Maryanne
