Joy is a Prayer...
Patiently waiting for me to notice.
Listen to this essay:
At the beginning of February, I committed to start documenting my joy. Along the way, I started calling it joy spotting. In March, we leaned in together, and I must say, having folks be in this practice alongside me felt so nice. I love that we decided to show up on the page—not in a performative way, not as a project to report back on, but as a gentle daily ritual. Joy Spotting has definitely created a positive shift in my attention. It's been a nice way to come back home to myself and be more present daily.
[High Level]: What I learned in March:
Joy didn't shout. It rarely does in my life. Joy isn't a praise dance. It's a silent prayer between me and Source—between me and me. Joy whispers and welcomes me to pay closer attention. It doesn't always knock at the front door of my heart or wait for me to let it in. The presence of joy is felt even when I am in the tenderness of grief, my not-so-good days, and my sadness. What I love most about joy is that it's not avoidant. It doesn't make me release my anger, my letdown, or my healing for it to show up. Instead, joy invites me to be in my feelings and with them. And should its delight show up after a good cry, a hard talk, or in the middle of a sticky moment, it patiently waits for me to notice that everything isn't all bad, all the time.
Many days in March, joy almost always came in through the side door of my life—subtle, ordinary, nearly invisible—the cardamom in my Matcha, the snuggles from my kids, a love tap on the butt from my husband when we crossed paths in the kitchen.
Joy is the tenderness I need to self-soothe and lean into the mess of life.
Joy is not loud or rambunctious for me. It is easeful, it is grounding. Joy reminds me to be where my feet are, and to be in my aliveness.
There was joy in folding clothes [last month], not because I love chores (I loathe laundry, lol) but because I played my favorite playlist and danced around singing while doing so. There was joy in the moments of silence when home alone. There was joy in catching myself before spiraling and choosing to breathe instead.
Joy is everywhere, all at once, and right on time if we choose to lean in and look.
This practice rewired my relationship with happiness and what it truly means to live a life that has pockets of glory and softness [emphasis on pockets]. Doing this type of journaling for the last couple of months shifted my belief that delight had to be earned—that I had to wait for the perfect moment, mood, or milestone. Instead, March showed me how often joy lives in the in-between, how it's always around and available if I'm willing to be a witness.
By mid-March, I realized that joy spotting wasn't something I had to do. It was something I got to do. And it supported how I moved through my days.
I started asking myself:
– What felt unexpectedly good today?
– What moment of peace or play did I almost overlook?
– Where did joy slip through the cracks?
This practice doesn’t erase the hard things but it does help me hold them differently. It gave me more access to light in the shadows. More texture in the quiet. More reasons to keep spotting the joy around me.
And now, in April—we have a new invitation.
This month, I'd like to have a theme for joy-spotting. I'm thinking we can call this Unexpected Joy. The kind we don't plan for. The kind that might sneak in sideways. The joy that comes disguised—as a delay, a detour, a surprise. Now, to be clear, this isn't about toxic positivity or spiritual bypassing. It's about staying open enough to let life show you something [good], even when it doesn't look like what you expect[ed].
This month let's notice:
– The beauty in being interrupted.
– The soft moment after a hard one.
– The chuckle in the mess.
– The healing in the middle of waiting.
Let April be your gentle challenge to: Be available for surprise.
Weekly Prompts for April’s Joy
Week 1: What moment this week caught me off guard—in a good way? How did it shift my perspective or mood?
Week 2: Where did joy show up in the middle of something I didn’t expect to enjoy? What does that teach me about being open?
Week 3: What small, ordinary moment felt meaningful or beautiful in hindsight? What made it feel sacred?
Week 4: How has my definition of joy expanded this month? What do I want to carry forward into May?
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So many beautiful reminders here, thank you.
I’ve been feeling so heavy and weighed down lately but I know it’s within my control to change that. So this morning I took myself to the woods and sat on a log in the sunshine. It brought me such joy and I’m endeavouring to continue to sprinkle simple moments like this through my days this month ☀️
I started joy journaling and it is true! All my joy is soothing and sweet. I could easily missed my joy moments if I wasnt slowing down to soak them in. I adore hear these voice notes!