I Found Joy in the Mailbox

Joy and Happiness are two completely separate things.

You walk out to the mailbox with a sense of joy in your heart that comes from deep within -

you choose joy when you wake up. It's a conscious thing.

When you reach your mailbox, you may reach in and find a letter from a friend.

You will be happy.

Or, you may find an unexpected bill from a doctor's office.

You will be sad.

But, whether you are happy or sad will not deflect or increase your joy.

Joy is a stable thing - Happiness is not.

The word for the opposite of 'happy' is 'unhappy'. We all know 'unhappy'. We've been with it many times.

But, there is no opposite word for 'joy'. I'm going to bet you have never heard anyone saying, "I am 'unjoy' today."

No such word. Doesn't exist.

You have the ability to have joy all day everyday...

if you choose it.

I equate the emotion of joy to a reverberating ocean, whereas happiness is more like a rain puddle.

The puddle may or may not dry up, but the ocean rolls on and on.

I pray you find some 'rain puddles' in your day today, but more than that, I pray for you 'oceans of joy'.

(whatever you find in your mailbox!)