Joy

In the funny, poignant movie, The Bucket List by Warner Brothers Pictures (2007), Morgan Freeman’s character, a quiet mechanic with a head full of Jeopardy facts, tells the character played by Jack Nicholson, his rich, flamboyant cancer comrade, about ancient Egyptian beliefs concerning death and the hereafter. According to Freeman, Egyptians used to believe that upon death a person had to answer two questions to get into Heaven:

Did you have joy in your life?
Did you bring joy to others?

Good questions, I think; but I’m not going to wait until I am standing before Saint Peter to ask them of myself. Now is better, so that I might have time to change things.

Focusing on my own happiness is really important because I can’t share what I don’t have, but we’re not just talking about happiness here, we’re talking about joy, which to me is slightly different in intensity. A hint of the subtle difference in the two emotions can be detected in Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. Whereas, happiness is described as “good luck, good fortune, [and] a state of well-being, peace, or comfort,” the definition of joy is “the emotion excited by the acquisition or expectation of good; gladness, delight, [and] the state of bliss.”

The first question is easier for me. Absolutely yes! To name a few:

- Gazing on the faces of our newborn children in the delivery room, laughing at their silly antics as toddlers (and adults!) and glorying along with them in their joys.
- Sharing a carefree moment with my beloved.
- Laughing until my sides ache with a friend.
- Seeing Venice unfold before me for the first time at dusk.

The second question is more difficult and it is the one that I especially want to be more conscious of in my life. Bringing joy to others is a goal that leaves me speechless. I think I will be contemplating the idea for a long time.

And, speaking of expressions of pure joy, watch this video one more time and see if it isn’t catching! Joy begets joy – so make sure there is joy in your life!