“Once we accept life for what it is, beauty will spread like wildfire.”
The older I get, the more I began to appreciate the simple
things in life. The steady pace of the rain inevitably falling from the roof
back to the sidewalk. The sound of my mom humming softly as she puts away the
dishes. The wrinkles that form next to my little sisters eyes as she giggles.
The smell of my dad’s old favorite tee shirt. The way my fairy lights glow at
night when I’m reading. To most people, the things I just listed off seem
incredibly random, and quite pointless, but they mean the world to me.
Awhile back I thought my highest priority should be
happiness. I thought the only way for me to live a “good life” was to be in a
constant state of “Happy”. Let me save you all the trouble by just letting you
know now, it is humanely impossible to be happy 100% of the time. It’s horribly
disappointing, but it’s simply not logical. What I didn’t know at this time in
my life was that there is something much better than happiness; that no one can
take away-
Joy.
You can have a horrible day, but still be joyful. You can be
in a bad mood, but still have joy. Yes, you may not be happy, but you can still
have joy, even in those times. Happy is defined as “pleased, or glad, over a particular thing” whereas joy is defined as
“a state of happiness or felicity”. One
is simply a feeling; one is a state of mind. You have to choose joy. Happiness
will come and go, but true joy won’t leave.
Nothing is too
small to bring you joy, and no one is immune to joy. Yes, sometimes it can be
difficult to force yourself to look for joy in all situations, but I promise,
it is well worth the effort. I challenge you to search for joy in your everyday
life. Look for it in the warmth of your grandma’s hug. Look for it in the
steaming hot cup of tea before bed. Look for it in the gleam in your best
friend’s eyes when you see her for the first time in weeks. Look for it your
mom’s soft smile as she tells you goodnight. Find joy in life’s simplicity.
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