Joy

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What brings you joy?

I think there tends to be the misconception between happiness and joy, that they are the same thing, when in reality, they are in fact, different. Happiness is a state of being because of an external force. Whereas joy is an internal, cultivated peace. No matter what your circumstance is, you can be filled with joy. And in today’s generation I think we fail to realize that we can be filled with joy and thankfulness, even when the circumstances may be against it. 

I mean just think about it. Right now. Exactly where you are in this moment. Is there anything that is truly wrong? Is there anything in this very moment that is making you unhappy? Don’t think about the past or something that is coming in the future, just think of this very moment. And unless you are on fire or reading this tied up against your will, there is most likely nothing going wrong in this very moment. And to tell you a little secret, life only really is the very moment you are in. You cannot change the past and who knows what the future is going to be like, so why worry about it twice. Now don’t get me wrong, it is important to plan your future, but to constantly worry about it and make yourself anxious over it is doing nothing for your mental health, and certainly does not bring you joy. So what does bring you joy?

Pictured above are 3 things that always bring me joy, even when some of them might make me sad or annoyed, there is true joy behind these relationships. In the first picture are my 4 best friends. I seriously do not know what I would do without them in my lives. Jeanine, in the top left corner has the greatest heart of anyone I’ve ever met. She deeply cares for everyone, always makes people feel welcomed, and makes me feel bad (but in a good way) for spitting my gum in the lake since it’s bad for the turtles. Next to her, in the top right hand corner is Meghan. Meghan is super quiet, but once you finally get to dig into her and get to know her she has the best sense of humor in the whole group, always taking care of us, and I can say very confidently I have the best memories with Meghan. Right in the middle is Claire. She is the baby of the group, but has incredible wisdom and love for God. No doubt in my mind she will be a future Saint. And last, but certainly not least we have Valerie. Who might just even be the glue of the group. This girl is crazy wild in all the best ways, is so loving, and even a state champion in weightlifting so definitely a beast. Now what do I bring to the group… who knows, but thank goodness I’m here. They are my sisters in Christ and I’m so beyond thankful for them. My senior year of high school and freshman year of college I would meet with these girls every Tuesday, talk, pray, and support each other. And looking back, those Tuesday’s were some of the most ordinary but best days of my life.
Pictured in the middle is a beautiful sunset. And I think everyone can agree how beautiful sunsets are and how much joy they can bring us from just watching the color change. I preferably like to watch them from the back of a inner tube or boat, but I guess that occasion only happens sometimes ; )  

And lastly we have my family. My brother, dad, and mom in specific, but I sure do love you Aunt Michelle, Uncle Kevin, Jenna, and Billy (plus all the other cousins not currently pictured). I know a lot of people say this, but I truly mean it. My brother is my best friend period. It’s been a wild ride and I remember the days when I hated his guts (not really, but in a young siblings kinda way). My dad would tell us “one day you guys will be best friends” and I thought he was bat shit crazy. There was no way I ever thought we would become best friends, but here we are today and I would do absolutely anything for him. As for my dad, he is the one person in the world who gets me. Truly, actually gets me. I can talk to him about anything. He makes me feel motivated when there is no motivation in me, he talks about the craziest conspiracies with me, and we also just have the exact same personality. And lastly, my mom. Who is just the most badass mom I could have ever asked for. When shit needs to get done, they get done. She is a total mama bear and there is nothing she wouldn’t do for her family. She has the most drive and ambition, something I wish I got more off from her, but none the less she is just a straight up badass woman.  

When things get tough in life I know I can look to these people to bring out the joy inside of me. 

So back to joy. Notice how I said the joy inside of me. Joy rises within you. It’s not basic pleasures of the world. It doesn’t come from drinking a nice refreshing sprite (even though I do love my sprite) or from the amount of likes you get on an Instagram picture. Joy comes from just being. Something you’ll find when you embrace the present moment. And sometimes you’ll notice, what is just the most average every basic day is so much more beautiful because of embracing this present moment. Back when mentioning my best friends I said something about how the Tuesdays we spent together were some of just the most ordinary days, yet some of the best. A lot of this robbing of joy comes from us thinking that we always need to be doing something awesome. That are lives are not great, unless we are doing something great. Yet most of our days are just average, and who wants to be average? But who said that the average everyday is a bad thing? A great quote from Mark Manson in his book “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k” he says something very interesting. “You will have a growing appreciation for life’s basic experiences: the pleasure of a simple friendship, creating something, helping a person in need, reading a good book, or laughing with someone you care about. Sounds boring, doesn’t it? That’s because these things are ordinary. But maybe they’re ordinary for a reason: because they are what really matters.” Life isn’t always going to be super exciting. And when we look back we’ll see that some of the best moments were just everyday basic experiences. 

So what brings you joy?