The Secret to Joy Is...

Writer Judy Ranieri

We are living in crazy times…environmental poisoning, political bantering, sound bite news, financial struggles, etc. Not a lot of positive things are being highlighted. So I decided to reclaim my power and focus on the positive, particularly things that bring me JOY. All of us experience joy several times a day, but it’s hard to see it, hear it, and feel it, when it’s being drowned out by a lot of noise…yes, that’s what I call it, noise.
I decided to create what I call a Joy Box that, when opened, shows you the secret to joy. It was important for me to use all of my senses when engaging in this process. So, I created a list of questions, to use, to get the creative juices flowing. Questions like:
If you had to give joy a color, what color would it be?
What does joy taste like?
What does joy feel like?
What does joy smell like?
What does joy look like?
What does joy sound like?
Then I followed-up with these:
When was the last time I brought joy into someone’s life?
When was the last time someone brought joy into my life?
Here’s what I learned in the making of my Joy Box…I learned that joy is something that can just slip right past me, if I’m caught up in the business of life. I learned that joy is all around me, but I sometimes forget to notice. Joy resides in the smell of freshly cut grass, the impish smile of my two and half year old grandson; the sound of laughter, especially if it’s a full belly laugh. I learned joy’s in the smell of fresh lilacs that take me back to my childhood, indicating that spring’s in the air. And, one of my most favorite joys is creating something from nothing, especially when I (mistakenly) think I can’t to it.