Joy is not a luxury item that arrives when conditions are perfect. It arrives now, or it doesn't arrive at all. Postponement is its own form of death.
We've been taught to earn joy. Do the work first. Then rest. Finish the project. Then celebrate. Keep the children safe and fed and educated and well-adjusted, then feel happy about it.
But joy doesn't wait. If you teach yourself to recognize it only in moments of perfect security, you'll miss it almost everywhere. It's in the broken thing that still works. In the conversation with the person you almost didn't call. In the light at 4:47pm that someone else didn't notice.
Postponing joy isn't prudent. It's a slow robbery. Every delayed delight is a debt that doesn't accumulate in your favor.
Where is joy waiting for you right now?
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