A wise man told me the difference between Joy and Happiness. I was an inpatient in hospital and he was a visitor.
“The difference is consequences.” he explained. “Happiness depends on consequences. Joy doesn’t. Grieve all the losses, find your truth and then comes Joy.”
Joy is attained through love, gratitude and enlightenment I have discovered. I wasn’t clear about that until the wise man explained.
I was reading Renee Brown’s blog Ordinary Courage when I found a quote by Brother David Steindl-Rast about Joy and Gratitude. You know that feeling you have when you think you’re the only one learning or experiencing something big and then, how happy you are when you discover others are and have too? I get that feeling a lot lately. It makes me smile.
I’ve listened to this song for awhile. I understand it differently now. I don’t think you can actually take someones Joy but I’m just glad to find someone else looking.
Are you searching for Joy or have you found it? I’d love to hear about it.
I like the wise man’s definition. Makes perfect sense to me. It is not for nothing my daughter’s name is Gili, which in Hebrew means My Joy. I know you are looking. I am looking too
I actually thought of her as I was writing this
Love to you both xo
I self-diagnosed with Suppressed Joy sometime between December and January. It came out of a time of Shame into this–even though highly functional, being all out and about in my life–there’s this undercurrent of cramped up Joy. So, I’m leaning into it (though a bit more crampy than avoiding it–I sense the way into it is through the crispy bits). So, here and now, I’ll say that I KNOW dance has a bead on joy for me–and I haven’t danced in SO long. Therefore–I shall dance.