On JOY!

On Saturday I went to a beautiful wedding celebration for our dear friends’ son -- full of color and dance and fun, in a barn with a red door. As I walked in, a bestie came over to hug me, adding with a twinkle that I looked like a cupcake — actually, I was going for cotton candy, I said with a wink. 😉 Joy!

I sat next to the mom of a friend, nearly 80, who from the first minute I saw her — seated at a table, cane nearby — was moving unabashedly to the beat of the music. She was waving her arms, shimmying her shoulders, dancing with her eyes and her smile, soaking in every minute of joy. At one point her granddaughter came over to dance with her, each swaying with as much gusto as they could muster, one seated the other on the dance floor, beaming with delight at this precious moment together.

I asked my new elder friend, in Urdu, where she gets her spirit from, has she always been so full of life. She told me that she still lives independently, loves watching Japanese movies on Netflix, and reading romance novels. She added, “we all have to go some time, why not live while we’re here.”

And in that one sentence, she summed up “joy” for me. A choice to eke out every ounce of fun, despite it all, in spite of it all. For a moment, and to the extent possible, to block out the pains and worries and heartaches, and savor the joy.

…and to do it again the next moment; and the one after that.