Could you tell me a time you felt Joy?

Joy is different. 

Let me let you in on a life-altering secret...happiness and joy are not interchangeable. BOOM. It took me 22 years of life to learn that. Happiness is situational. Happiness is the present, it’s something you feel in the moment. Happiness comes and goes, it doesn’t take root in your heart. Happiness abandons you when your parents divorce, when depression strikes, when you lose a best friend. 

Now my girl Joy, she plays for keeps. Joy is not fleeting. Joy is a seed planted in your heart, which sprouts vines that grow to penetrate every ounce of your being. On bad days, Joy is still present. Happy is what you feel, Joy is who you are. Joy is good in the midst of the bad. Joy won’t leave you when everyone does.

For me, Joy comes often in the form of friendship. It’s catching longboard waves at sunset. It’s screaming “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac in an overcrowded club. It’s that moment when you realize there is nowhere you would rather be, and nobody you would rather be with. It’s contentment, there is nothing more I want or need. Insecurity melts, anxiety fades, and you ride that damn wave and realize JOY is what’s moving you forward.