Joy is a pleasurable feeling of elation, contentment, and gratitude from deep within. It’s everywhere and all around us; it’s in the everyday, trivial moments. It’s when one is, even momentarily, in sync with oneself and the universe; unperturbed by circumstances.
It alights, like a butterfly, softly, gently, unexpectedly and, through it, peace permeates the spirit.
The moments of joy may be short-lived and far-between, but cultivating a habit of letting go and appreciating what is, contributes to a lasting feeling of well-being and tranquillity.
The modern mantra goes…
“Laugh without reason—let joy find you in simple places.
A warm breeze. A silly memory. A shared glance.
Joy doesn’t need a reason—it just needs room.”
What is joy? Could it be just some random memories of jumping off the boat in Hawaii to snorkel and seeing a school of rainbow fish?
• Well before I was married, I taught students as a form of seva for a total of 10 years. Students whom my cousin brother, a member of the Lions Club up-country, regularly referred to me. The joy I felt upon receiving letters of gratitude from those children as they progressed in life still warms my spirit, a reminder of the little good I’ve done in this life.
• I’d been married just a little over a month, when my honeymoon took me back to where I lived with my parents. For that while, I felt like I’d never left them or the place–an amazing bonus!
• Creating a meal… right from grocery shopping to therapeutic chopping and plating always creates tremendous, unexpected joy. The first taste of a completed dish and instinctively knowing that it’s perfectly balanced. It’s not the food; the joy is in the creating process. The satisfaction upon seeing the guests, smiling warmly and enjoying each morsel with appreciation and quiet admiration. The comforting silence that comes when people are savouring the creation is deafening.
• As a small Thai-Sikh boy with no skills in living alone or in speaking Hindi, I was sent off to a boarding school in India. The unexpected help and support I received from the Hindi teacher warms me to this day.
• It was so exhilarating to pass the driving test on the very first attempt. At just seventeen, I was amongst the first girls to get my own car in a joint family of those days, which made it even more memorable.
• A very recent girl’s trip abroad, my very first, left me feeling liberated, free to laugh, and enjoy myself with no restraint. It was a novel experience; no husband; no kids, no responsibilities, for that while.
• I still remember the pure joy and fun my two brothers and I were having that morning, during a family trip to Sarabia, stumbling around in the swamp trying to catch tadpoles, frogs and fish with our bare hands, well before we were sent off to boarding schools. We were filthy, but our parents didn’t scold us after they saw us squealing with delight and having so much fun.
• I didn’t stay back long enough to attend my Indian university’s graduation ceremony, but I was lucky enough to go back in person within the year to collect the hard copy. However, this was pre-World Wide Web, so I was asked to rummage through a pile of boxes in which it was thankfully found. That degree was especially valuable to me as I’d switched from a Thai-medium school to an English-medium university—a challenge that tested my perseverance but which has served me well to bring me where I am today.
• When I stopped dyeing my hair, all my female relatives were on my case to remain looking young—for my husband’s sake. I experienced a spurt of unexpected joy when my brother, with rare admiration in his eyes, nudged me by saying, “But you have always been a rebel.”
• The time when my granddaughter and I were making some silly noises and then, somehow, both of us erupted into uncontrollable laughter, experiencing uninhibited, exhilarating joy.