Where Joy Lives
I have a few essays that are fun, like “When the Room Gets Louder,” but not enough; the others are more introspective. So, I thought I would try to make this one a little uplifting.
Let’s talk about the simple things in life. I believe that’s where our happiness lies. Moments like when you throw your dog a ball, and he rolls when he grabs it for no reason, pretending he tripped. Or when that same dog runs on the hardwood floor and doesn’t move as its feet slip, like it’s a cartoon. They really are trying to make you laugh because they see you like it. Or a cat with a laser pointer. You get the idea.
It is so simple, so satisfying.
Joy needs nothing to touch us.
Little moments of joy can destroy any bad feeling, even movies. I can watch The Princess Bride and be mad when it starts and stay mad until Vizzini says, “A clever man would put the poison into his own goblet, because he would know that only a great fool would reach for what he was given. I’m not a great fool……..” How can I stay mad?
Have you ever walked outside, pulled on a branch, and smelled a leaf? Whether it smells good or not, it’s such a satisfying moment. If contentment is true happiness, I reach it at that moment, right then.
What about beaches and sunsets? A song from high school. We all know the feeling. These are little joys, and they help us through our tough days.
But other simple things aren’t just moments; they’re ways of life, like children and family all together. The pride we have. The moments we share. The holidays, the dinners when sis makes fun of you. Everyone laughs because they all remember.
Maybe it’s your work; I sure did enjoy my work before I retired. The people there, the things we accomplished. It sure was satisfying.
That brings me to sharing joy. When we share joy, it is so fulfilling, from sharing a joke to caring for a loved one. Their pleasure is my pleasure. There’s something about connection that drags us in and holds us.
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And even when we lose people, we can find joy in knowing we knew them, and they touched us, and we touched them. There was the joy we shared. Going to the ice cream shop with Mom, drinking a beer with Dave, or just witnessing their kindness, the kindness of the kindest people we ever met.
Life is perspective, and we can bathe in these thoughts.
Getting older makes us aware of just how much of who we are is in these moments.
When we get older, we don’t realize how old we are; we stay wherever we were most comfortable. For me, it is 37, but 37 for me was some time ago. I always think I am 37 until I start to do work. Uh yeah, I’m not 37.
We do the same with the people we love; I’m speaking for myself. I cannot speak for everyone, but I see Darla, my wife, as the 27-year-old I met years ago. Her voice is just as sweet, her eyes just as bright, and in my mind, I cannot see her any different. Years make us more brittle; they do not make us less loving.
So how does it feel to be married to a 27-year-old for more than 27 years? I cannot explain the joy that I have and share with her. It is amazing.
Earlier, I said, ‘If contentment is true happiness.’ Maybe now, I would say: the greatest simple joys are the people we get to love.
Happiness, contentment, and love might be different words, but they all relate to joy, so cut me some slack.
Side note: I think Dad is 44.
That is my story. I am sure there are simple things that bring your life this same kind of joy, because love doesn’t belong to me.
Love belongs to everyone.
Albert Jr.
Originally published at https://noblefortress.org on October 4, 2026.
