“You will find something more in woods than in books. Trees and stones will teach you that which you can never learn from masters.” – Saint Bernard

Joy is not a lack of pain. Joy is the acceptance, and the embracing, of life. It is beyond happiness, and beyond pain. Joy is the leaven that helps us rise to our fullness.

Ever walk in a deep, dark, green forest? Full of moss and ferns, with spiderwebs and mushrooms along your path? Two of my favorite places, so far, in my travels have been: the western side of the Cascade Range in the Pacific NW, USA and the Rheinland- Pfalz state in western Germany. While not exactly the same, the weather and vegetation are remarkably similar. The trees tower overhead, their branches and leaves dripping, creating puddles of leaves in the low spots. Twilight is the master though the sun may shine. But even at night, it’s never fully dark, there’s still some light as your eyes adjust. That light that never fully leaves? That’s what joy feels like. Joy is an ambient emotion.

Do we have to go into the shadows to find joy? No, but it’s more visible without the distractions. Joy can be found in the sunlight. Trusting that it will stay, after the happiness has passed, is harder when you haven’t seen it from the darkest places. Gautama Buddha had a lot to say about joy. Here’s one of my favorites:

“Generosity brings happiness at every stage of its expression. We experience joy in forming the intention to be generous. We experience joy in the actual act of giving something. And we experience joy in remembering the fact that we have given.”