"How do YOU spell joy?
"Joy. It's a small, simple word composed of three letters: a curvy J, a perfect O, and an exuberant, sky-hugging Y. It's a word that might wear pink or purple and possess a fondness for exclamation points. Peppy and compact, it is often misunderstood. It's a word that's been worn down from overuse, appropriated by advertising campaigns, and relegated to coy catch phrases splashed across greeting cards and souvenir T-shirts.
"Poor, misunderstood Joy; it can seem as though its very popularity and desirability have conspired to make some suspicious of its true meaning. Joy is like a girl who just happens to be good at cheerleading, who can jump up and effortlessly make her spine into an elastic arc – who really does wake up happy in the morning – but who is mistaken for trite, clichéd, or shallow.
"Joy, however, is anything but saccharine or false. It is delight; a fully embodied form of contentment. It's the smile that finds its own stretch and doesn't need to be tugged into place. It's what the morning glory does when it feels the first rays of sunlight on its petals. It's the splash that sends a feeding fish slaphappy out of the water, and it's the flick of its tail on its return. Joy is the impulse in the morning that sends you into the kitchen for tea and toast before the alarm has had a chance to ring. It's the feeling palm leaves must have when they riffle the air in the Caribbean breeze. And it might just make you feel like you want to give a little jump for . . . well, yes . . . joy!
Exercises for the Joy of It
"Defining Terms
The dictionary describes joy as a feeling of great pleasure and happiness. But the best definition for joy comes from within you. Take 5 to 10 minutes and write your own definition. What does joy mean to you?
"Shades of Joy
Good feelings come in all varieties. Make a list of all the different gradations of happiness you experience, from glad to giddy, easy-going to ecstatic. See how your mood is elevated simply by thinking about positive emotions.
"Mine the Moments
Make a list of moments when you've felt joy. Choose one or two instances and describe them in detail. What were you doing? Who were you with? Where were you? Did joy take you by surprise? What were the events that led up to the feeling?"
