How to Find Joy in Your Journey
“Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.” – Henri Nouwen
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It was a dark, wet, and dreary Sunday morning when I boarded my flight from Charlotte to Baltimore. Having spent the better part of eight hours in a car the previous day driving from Maryland to North Carolina only to depart twelve short hours after arriving, I was more than a little tired and worn out. Fighting back tears as I settled into my seat, I thought about the bittersweet goodbye I had just shared with my daughter who dropped me off at the airport before the break of dawn that morning prior to continuing the road journey on her own back to the University of South Carolina after a month-long stay with us during her winter break. To add to the misery, I was feeling a bit under the weather and not at all looking forward to being cooped up in a plane for the better part of two hours during the flight home.
Glancing out the plane’s window and watching the wet precipitation splash down onto the tarmac brought to mind the day’s forecast for a widespread storm that hung over the entire central East Coast and the freezing rain expected in Baltimore. With my outlook as dismal as the weather, once the plane began its initial ascent and my view of the landscape below quickly disappeared when the plane entered a murky and heavy gray fog, I braced myself for gloomy skies for the duration of the trip.
Within minutes, however, those despairing thoughts were shattered when the plane broke through the darkness and the view changed suddenly and quite drastically. Gone was the gray and the gloom and, in its place, nothing but clear blue sky remained for as far as the eye could see. Mesmerized, I stared out the window and caught sight of a bright ray of sunshine dancing upon the plane’s wing. And in that moment, I experienced a bit of an epiphany. That sunbeam served as a reminder that the sun had been there all along, I just had to break through the clouds to find it. At that thought, a sense of peace and contentment washed over me. And I couldn’t help but smile as I realized I had just found joy in my journey.
What is Joy?
A review of several online dictionaries yields the following definition of joy:
“A feeling of great pleasure and happiness.”
I personally have a problem with this definition as I do not believe joy is synonymous with happiness. I believe joy is so much more.
Happiness is rooted in circumstance. Joy defies circumstance.
Happiness is an external expression. Joy is an internal feeling.
Happiness is fickle. True joy is steadfast.
Happiness comes and goes like the weather. Joy remains constant.
Happiness is a reaction. Joy is a choice.
How to Find Joy in Your Journey
Why seek joy? Joy offers a sense of peace and contentment that transcends our circumstances. It is a state of being that can help us make the most of the good times in our lives and more effectively cope with the bad. And the pursuit of joy can be extremely beneficial to our overall health and well-being.
Joy is not always easy to attain, but the search for it is well worth the effort. Joy is a decision, and to find it you must choose to seek it. And journaling can help you do just that.
Journaling is an amazing tool for self-exploration and self-discovery. And it can lead you to the true joy that resides deep within you, a joy that will emerge from within when invited and given the chance.
When the fog and storm clouds of life get in the way, journaling can help you find your way through them. And, just as that plane carried me up through the dark clouds and into blue skies where the ever-present sun resides, journaling can lead you higher into your ever-present joy.
As my plane landed in Baltimore later that Sunday morning and the skies became gray once again, I held tight to the memory of my encounter with the sun as well as the joy it brought me. And, thus, my sense of peace and contentment remained. In turn, my outlook on the day improved and I began to view the rest of it through new eyes, those of a joy seeker. While I still dearly missed my daughter, rather than dwell on the fact that she was no longer home with us, I instead chose to focus on the thought that she was back where she needed to be to thrive during this season in her life. And, rather than let the inclement weather get me down, I chose instead to be grateful for it as it offered me the ideal opportunity to spend the afternoon with my husband and son in front of a warm and cozy fire in our family room fireplace.
Want to find joy in your journey through journaling? Grab the writing materials of your choosing and set aside 5-10 minutes to engage in one of the following activities:
- Answer the question: What brings me joy?
- Complete the statement: My metaphor for joy is…
- Create a list of 10 things that make your heart sing.
Once you’ve completed your activity, read through and reflect on what you’ve written. Then, in one or two sentences, complete the following statement: As I read this, I notice…
When you’ve completed your reflection, tuck these insights away in your memory or write them on a notecard to encourage and guide you as you continue to seek more joy in your life.
There is joy to be found in your journey… go find it!
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