Chapter 6.10 Joy

Joy (and Happiness)

 

“Since you get more joy out of giving joy to others, you should put a good deal of thought into the happiness that you are able to give.”

Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962)     Human Rights Activist, First Lady, wife of FDR

Earlier I talked of Joy being perhaps the one positive attribute I could think of that was truly an emotion and not an action.  So maybe there’s the rub.  We have to focus on making Joy an action.

“Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action.”

Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881)     British Prime Minister

We experience Joy as a result of doing something fun, receiving something fun, or giving something fun.  Everyone has different triggers that result in moments of Joy in their lives.

“The best way to cheer yourself up is to cheer somebody else up.”

Mark Twain (1835-1910)      American Humorist/Writer

Flashes of Joy can come from a variety of different sources … sitcoms, a successful work project, new babies, making love, writing, doing arts and crafts, attending social events, winning Bingo, sharing a good joke, completing your list for the day …

“Happiness makes up in height what it lacks in length.”

Robert Frost (1874-1963)     American Poet

But alas, Joy too often stays for only a short period of time.  Here now, gone tomorrow. Negativity (through Guilt) has tried to convince us that we shouldn’t have too much Joy, because life isn’t just about fun and good times.  Periods of long highs will be offset with long low periods. (where have I heard that before?)

“Not joy but joylessness is the mother of debauchery.”

Friederich Nietzsche (1844-1900)      German Philospher

A few people in our 150 truly do exude … and live … an openly positive existence, although I doubt they are not without some complaints to share.  The key is that they don’t.   And if you are one of them, one that trips to positive first, you are fortunate indeed.

“Happiness is a perfume that you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)      American Writer

We all know that we can find Joy every day in the things around us.  But because of our pace, our chosen existence to try to do it all, (appropriately labeled a Performance Addiction in the book by Dr. Arthur Ciaramicoli), this frenetic activity doesn’t allow us to answer the door for Joy.  We’re just too busy to bother.

“When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has opened before us.”

Helen Keller (1880-1968)      American Author/Activist

We need to consciously train our brains to not just answer Joy’s knock when it calls, but to actually walk outside and give it a whistle.  We need to look for some Joy in almost all of our actions, to bring it along with us as our companion. Joy is filled with positive energy, and if we make it our daily friend, Joy can rub off on others along our way.

“Laughter is the sun that can drive winter from the human face.”

Victor Hugo (1802-1885)      French poet, playwright, novelist,

To learn how to make Joy my constant companion , I’m going to need some tools that shape a well-formed Positivity to finish this project. What seems so apparent is often elusive.

“The whales do not sing because they have the answer.  They sing because they have a song.”

From Ashes and Snow, Letter 68       Gregory Colbert – Photographer/Artist

 

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