“We need joy as we need air. We need love as we need water. We need each other as we need the earth we share.” - Maya Angelou 

Last week, I took a walk on a different beachside boardwalk. Shy of sunset, wiggling past tail-wagging puppies, palette-clad artists, and wave-riding surfers, there he was. A bubble guy, joyfully swinging two long poles attached to a sudsy string, creating the most glorious soapy prisms I’d ever seen. With a quick dip of the string and a wave of the wind, bubbles of all shapes and sizes soared towards the smiles of onlookers. Instantly we all laughed, jumped to catch them, and swiveled around to watch them flutter by nearby wanderers. The crowd: a mixture of ages, races, genders, and, I imagine economic status;  the unifier: joy in the magic of bubble making, all thanks to the man with the strings and the bucket whose sole purpose was to create joy.

He succeeded.

The little kid in me took center stage on that walk. Bubble guy handed me the poles, helped me up onto the bench, and with minimal direction, moments later: magic. With the flick of a string, pure joy. On our walk back to the car, the husband smiled and said, “I’m reminded of how little is needed and how simple it is to create and inspire joy.”

In today’s 24/7 news cycle, there are heaps of messages poking our nervous system daily. While it would be nice if all humans had the time, space, ability, and wealth to ditch the traditional and head off to recharge and reawaken the mind, soul, and spirit, the reality is that’s not the case. 

What is in our power is our attitude, our actions, our mindset, and our resilience and resistance to see, inspire, and connect with joy. 

Today’s dictionaries interpret joy to be a profound, great pleasure of happiness, the lasting effects of those glimpses, flickers, and moments far beyond the actual encounter. When you experience it, you instantly know…and maybe, just maybe, don’t want it to end. That conversation with friends, that morning walk where the ladybug lands on your finger, or when finally that bucket list adventure materializes…the unmistakable smile, that feeling that bubbles up inside, or the literal scream of glee—you hope it lasts forever. 

Perhaps you’re rolling your eyes right now. Perhaps you’re going, “really, with all the things I have to do in the world, this is what we’re talking about?” Perhaps you’re screaming, “have you seen the news, the world is insane at the moment, what are you doing spending time writing about joy?” Perhaps you’re thinking, “whatever, that’s for young kids who jump in puddles and look for rainbows; but it’s not for me, I’m a serious grown up.”

I hear you. Somehow, in the development process of moving from toddler to pre-teen and teen to adulthood, things shifted. 

We’ve taken on roles, piled on expectations, and spent heaps of time moving from one classroom or project or job to another. By the time we fling ourselves onto our beds at night, we’re exhausted. Sometimes it feels like a Groundhog’s Day of grind. 

What if we could shift that? 

What if amidst the rigor and responsibilities, there were glimmers? 

What if we gave ourselves permission to look for the good (even for a moment), to remember what childlike wonder feels like and to search for it as often as possible? 

What if we decided to strengthen our resolve, resist the drudgery and exhaustion of repetition, and celebrate moments where joy resides?

Ferris Bueller famously said “life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” Whether it’s from wake up to bedtime, January to December, first day of school to graduation, or birth to death, it sure is a quick trip. 

While we can’t slow time, we can savor it. We can’t change the pace or breadth of the news, but we can pause and refuel our energy tanks. We can’t reject our responsibilities, but we can take moments to cultivate, reinforce, and invite joy and the positive benefits it brings. 

It might not put food on the table, but joy can rewire our brains to illuminate our creativity reserves and ignite curiosity, innovation, and overall contentment. 

“Joy… that warm, fuzzy feeling you get when you hear your child’s laughter, embrace your sweetheart, or cuddle a puppy…It’s a subconscious, almost visceral feeling that appears to stem from the brain’s limbic system, which is believed to control emotions, including pleasure. Unlike happiness, joy involves little cognitive awareness—you just feel good without thinking about it—but it’s more enduring.” (Harvard Medicine)

What if we could celebrate that in our classrooms? 

Can we teach our students that the play, creativity, and ingenuity they captured in those early years of exploration doesn’t have to end? 

Can we reinforce the benefits of gratitude, mindfulness, and joy throughout their educational journey and later life? Can we remind them that joy isn’t a momentary feeling, but a boost of positive emotions that have a lifelong impact towards a healthy wellbeing and a thriving existence? 

Imagine what this type of classroom experience could look like. Imagine the change we could set in motion. Imagine a world where our minds and actions seek connection, engagement, play, and gratitude and our noticing joy muscles strengthen with every interaction.

 Imagine what that world could look like for the next generation and the legacy that could endure. 

So, next time there’s a puppy to snuggle, a rainbow to savor, or a puddle to jump in, don’t ignore the urge. Next time Elmo giggles, you witness kindness, or that tree down the block looks even more stunning than usual, allow the joy to flood your senses. 

The positive emotional response and longevity of the moment might surprise you. 

4 Tips to nurture joy in your life

Ordinary turns extraordinary

“The secret to life is finding joy in ordinary things.” - Ruth Reichl

A mindfulness technique is to notice, observe, and witness our own actions. Thich Nhat Hanh, one of the world’s prolific monks, activists, and mindfulness practitioners, famously retells a story about washing the dishes. 

“If while washing dishes, we think only of the cup of tea that awaits us, thus hurrying to get the dishes out of the way as if they were a nuisance, then we are not ‘washing the dishes to wash the dishes.” That, in essence, when considering the other things we have to do, “we are sucked away into the future–and we are incapable of actually living one minute of life.” 

What if we refined our focus? What if we offered an alternative and did our best to pay attention, to take a pause, sit in the moment, and be where our feet are? (The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation)

What if we could reject the autopilot we so often run on and attempt to remain present? 

Today’s world races past us, humans are overscheduled, and most of us find ourselves pulled in more directions than a compass. 

How can we shift the narrative? Can we work on our attention to disrupt the distractions or, when we can’t, can we at least pause for a breath to truly observe? 

Mindfulness practices help us engage our attention. Positive psychology (Martin Seligman), the art of human flourishing, focuses on optimal wellbeing for a meaningful life offering the PERMA model that includes positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment. 

“Ten times a day something happens to me like this - some strengthening throb of amazement - some good sweet empathic ping and swell. This is the first, the wildest and the wisest thing I know: that the soul exists and is built entirely out of attentiveness.” - Mary Oliver

Can we remind ourselves and offer permission to notice those little things and remember that they’re truly the big things? 

Each act of living, each act of purposeful attention, each savoring of the moment can enrich. And perhaps, then, we will recognize that the ordinary is truly extraordinary. 

An act of resistance

“Joy is a decision, a really brave one, about how you are going to respond to life.” - Wess Stafford

Margaret Mead’s quote, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has," has always been one of my favourites. Consider history’s greatest activists: they pay attention, mindfully engage, and know when they need to take rest. They are pulled in all directions, often have to pick and choose where to best place effort and energy, and know that activism is a long game. Their actions are less spur of the moment reactions, and more thoughtful, considered, powerful responses and sometimes a bit of both. Their acts of resistance are game changers and legacy makers. 

Joy is an act of resistance. 

A powerful flex in the hamster wheel of life saying hold on, I’m here, this is my one wild life and I’m going to notice everything. Humans are hardwired toward negativity bias. In the sense of noticing risks, challenges, and potential threats in life, this is vital. Neuroplasticity tells us that we can change our brains. 

So, what if we empowered our minds with noticing joy?  

What if we shifted our focus, engaged in acts of resistance, and showed ourselves the possibility and potential of joy? Not toxic positivity, not negating emotion, but allowing for all of them. Let’s take a cue from Inside Out 2, and expand our horizons to allow for joy: a continued act of resistance in a world that tells us otherwise. 

It’s your choice

“Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.” - Henri Nouwen

Harry Potter’s Professor Dumbledore reminded us that “it’s our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” Movies and books so often engage our senses, pinning our protagonists in situations where their choices define their character, offer a vision to the person they wish to be, and a world they wish to create. We can do the same. 

Many things are beyond our control, but our attitude and how we wish to show up in the world is within our grasp. 

Joy is a choice, if only we wish to participate, if we are brave enough to allow ourselves that chance. 

Students have to attend class, but it’s their choice to pay attention. CEOs run companies, but it’s their choice as to the policies they enact, how they treat their workers, and how they show up in their community. 

We all have choices…and joy is one of them. 

The aforementioned PERMA model of positive psychology includes positive emotions such as gratitude, joy, compassion, and hope. These flourishing indicators can be learned, enriched, and cultivated…and the choice is ours. Each time we choose to see joy and savor the moment, it up levels resilience, builds our social-emotional wellness resources, and enhances our wellbeing muscles. 

Limitless, ageless, timeless

“The mere sense of living is joy enough.” - Emily Dickinson

Have you ever noticed the woman feeding pigeons in the park, the dapper octogenarian couple in the dance class, or the wide-eyed child meeting Mickey Mouse for the first time? The mid-life dancer who enrolls in the tap class filled with gen alphas because it was always her dream, the juggler holding a meetup in the square for all who wish to learn, or the street chalk artist spending hours creating, aware that rain could wash it all away. 

Your smile is instantaneous as you connect with these humans, regardless of age, stage, or station, all engaging in acts of joy. That jolt of joy is infectious. Your step quickens, your day immediately becomes brighter. 

Barbara Frederickson, an esteemed professor of psychology and neuroscience, is the leading expert in positive psychology’s Broaden and Build Theory. Experiences with positive emotions that create positive experiences both broaden and build our repertoire of resources, including those of cognitive, behavioral, emotional, social, and physical. Every episode where we boost our interactions with curiosity, play, innovation, and other positive emotions enriches our critical thinking skills, physical abilities, and both social and cognitive development. We gain insight and interest, fortify our reserves, ignite positive thinking and behavior and quite literally ‘broaden and build’ our wellbeing. (Positive Psychology)

Martha Beck, Harvard trained sociologist, author, speaker, life coach extraordinaire, and host of The Gathering Room podcast, recently told her audience that inspiration is one of the only things that travels faster than lies on social media. “All of us have an opportunity to go looking for what inspires us. Not just allowing things to flow past us, but actively seeking something we find inspiring.” 

We teach our students reading, writing, and ‘rithmatic. We aim to help them strengthen their character, offer opportunities, and help them grow. Educators both in and out of the classroom seek to guide young people on their exploration to become their best selves, find a sense of purpose, and be good humans. These timeless elements will all be part of their lifelong journey. Perhaps we can remind them that joy has a place there, too.

“Finding joy is probably tantamount to finding yourself and being comfortable in your own skin.” - Morgan Freeman

Please click the photo below for a collection of my Through the Eyes of an Educator columns:

Stacey Ebert, our Educational Travels Editor, is a traveler at heart who met her Australian-born husband while on a trip in New Zealand. Stacey was an extracurricular advisor and taught history in a Long Island public high school for over fifteen years, enjoying both the formal and informal educational practices. After a one year 'round the world honeymoon, travel and its many gifts changed her perspective. She has since left the educational world to focus on writing and travel. She is energetic and enthusiastic about long term travel, finding what makes you happy and making the leap. In her spare time she is an event planner, yogi, dark chocolate lover, and spends as much time as possible with her toes in the sand.

Check out her website at thegiftoftravel.wordpress.com for more of her travel musings.