Finding Joy

It was one of those days where I started reading a blog post, and then I followed a link to a related article, and then I followed another link from that article to a different article, and then I followed a link from that article to another article.  And pretty much before I knew it, I had about 22 tabs open and my computer slowed to a snail’s pace.  So I made the executive decision to stop opening up anything else and just read through the articles that I had found.  And so I did.  I sat, I read about joy, and I reflected.

Chade-Meng Tan, author of “Joy on Demand: The Art of Discovering the Happiness Within,” wrote about finding “thin slices of joy” in everyday life.  After realizing that he was actually pretty miserable, Tan decided to retrain his brain to find happiness in small moments.  And according to him, these “slices of joy” and moments of happiness can be pretty basic.  For example, you’re hungry, so you eat something, and that makes you happy.  Simple, yes.  But also a perfect example of how basic these moments can be.  But from what I gather, the real trick here is being aware of said happiness and joy, and noticing (and enjoying) these small moments all day long.

In my opinion, I am a pretty happy person, and someone who definitely looks at life with a glass half full perspective.  I do my best to not sweat the small (or big) things, I love to laugh and be goofy, and generally I would always choose to be happy over sad.  But something really resonated with me when I read about these “thin slices of joy.”

On any given day, I am happy, but am I really relishing in those tiny “slices of joy”?  Am I stopping to enjoy those small quiet moments?  I hate to say it, but not as much as I would like to.  I think that I actually do a really great job of enjoying the small moments when we are traveling, but somehow at home, I seem to let too many of those moments pass me by.

I think that it is far too easy for me to get caught up with multitasking or become distracted by something, and then I miss the opportunity to savor a tiny moment – a loving gaze, the enjoyment of a cool breeze, a bird landing outside of our patio, or even a refreshing glass of water.

The very thought that I have been missing out on any opportunity for increased happiness really drives me all different kinds of nuts.  I am committed to living the best life that I possibly can, and I don’t want to miss a single tiny moment of happiness or joy.  That being said, I can already say that I feel such gratitude in my heart having found these articles that have inspired me to be more aware of my own “thin slices of joy.”  And if I am picking up what Tan is putting down, then I am pretty sure that this is my own perfect example of finding a small piece of happiness.