Delight

It took a Google search for me to discover the difference between joy and happiness. I guess I always thought they were one-in-the-same. Come to find out, for the 9,378th+ time, I was wrong!

After diligent research, I’ve learned joy and happiness are very different. Joy is an internal delight within us. Happiness usually depends on external forces or material things. ‘Joy comes when we make peace with who we are, why we are and how we are, whereas happiness tends to depend on other people, things, places, thoughts, and events.’

Delight was the word I had been searching for to describe my renewed joy of riding a bike; I had forgotten how delightful that could be. I can ride much farther than I can run, and the myriad trails throughout Colorado offer unbelievable scenery. Not only is biking excellent physical exercise (although I did fall and skin my knee), it also gets me out in nature to enjoy fresh air and a serotonin boost. When I ride my bike, I feel like a kid again!

In keeping with my child-like enjoyment of biking, I’ve expanded my pursuit of pure delight to other areas. Yesterday while I was running, I saw a hopscotch someone had drawn on the sidewalk. Why not? While I was poppin’ tags, I found an antique tea kettle that has a little bird that whistles when the water boils. The happiness that tea kettle brings me is ridiculous. And just the other day, a friend acquainted me with “Semester at Sea,” an opportunity to spend 3 months teaching on a cruise ship and sailing to the Netherlands, Portugal, Morocco, Spain, Croatia, Greece, Cyprus, Jordan, Kenya, India, and Dubai. I emailed my CV the very next day. Just the thought of it makes me giggle!

When was the last time you felt pure unadulterated delight?
When was the last time you felt like a kid?
When was the last time you giggled with joy?

Try it, you might like it.