Entry: December 2023: “It was late fall, and I found myself alone on campus. I was walking through a nest of crumbled leaves under my feet. For a while, I was gleefully content with the crackling. Then, my gaze shifted upwards to the iridescence of the sun peeking through the fall foliage. I was mesmerized. It emitted a soft glow as if taking its last breaths before Winter’s somberness arrived. Remaining still, I observed as the candescence of Autumn took me in and enveloped the world around me.”
I recall the days when times were simpler: childhood. Ah, childhood! I only worried about learning the multiplication table, using the right form of their, there, they’re, and running the mile on a grass field. Today, I wonder what jobs and careers are available in my major, whether I will find a job, and if I am making my parents proud. And oh my, I still need to finish my monthly Paper Jam article, I wonder what we are eating for Christmas, and...many other worries flood my mind. In retrospect, these are manageable issues, yet they keep me up at night. Aside from not knowing the greater mysteries of life, in the foreseeable future, I suppose we are feasting on pozole, tamales, champurrado, and other desserts for Christmas. Yes, surely, the impeccable flavors of my culture’s foods could bring me momentary relief. However, the culinary pleasure and happiness this brings me is small in comparison to the joy I experience when I am surrounded by loved ones. I recall last Christmas when I sang el Niño Dios to sleep alongside my aunts, cousins, sisters, and grandma. We lay him to rest in his nativity as we held the flame of a small candle in our hands.
Despite the growing stressors of life and the mountain of responsibilities that keep growing, I keep in mind the things, moments, and people that bring me joy. Memories that carry weight far beyond their finite moments, people whose warmth and laughter calms the inner storms you face, and places that serve as a refuge from the outside world even if only on our minds— these joys and more, disperse throughout our life, providing the darkest days with a twinkling hope. Joy is uniquely different for all of us. For this article, I asked a few of my coworkers what brought them joy as a child, what brings them joy today, and what meaning it holds in their lives.
Stephanie Duarte:
What brought you joy as a child?
Aside from my family and friends, I found joy at the library and through reading. I would zoom through chapter books in elementary and loved series like Goosebumps and Junie B. Jones. I also felt pure happiness around animals. I also became fascinated with classical
music at an early age and experienced joy by building a vinyl collection. Everything I've mentioned still brings me much joy. Rediscovering what you loved as a child is so cathartic.
What does joy mean to you?
For me, joy is something engrained in my spirit and connected to my faith; it's activated through the people and animals I love and the interests I enjoy. Happiness comes and goes, as most emotions can be unpredictable, but joy, though not always at the forefront, is something I carry with me and try to share the best I can.
What brings you joy today?
Loved ones. Laughter. Loud music. Animals. Books. Comfort Shows. The RWC. Teaching. Community. My faith. Nehemiah 8:10.
Ulysses Ochoa
What brought you joy as a child?
When I was younger, what brought me joy was spending time with my family. Some of my earliest memories involve my brothers teaching me to play video games as well as my parents or sisters taking me to the mall. I also spent lots of time exploring my imagination by drawing, writing, and daydreaming.
When I think back to being a kid, I have to say that it was spending time with my friends and brother in the neighborhood. We would ride bikes, skateboards, or rollerblades for hours.
Most of my favorite childhood memories involve feeling the wind in my face alongside my closest friends.
What does joy mean to you?
Today, a lot of the same things still bring me joy, as I love going out with friends and family. I still also have fun exploring the limits of my imagination through creative writing. My hobbies, such as baking, model kit building, watching “tokusatsu hero” dramas, gaming, and collecting horror films/novels, are also ways I like to spend my time.
Alan Pujol
What does joy mean to you?
Joy is a deep, well-rooted feeling of happiness and peace, something less fleeting than a momentary pleasure. Eating food gives me pleasure and can make me happy, but eating food with friends and family brings me joy. There is a slight difference.
What brings you joy today?
My children are a huge part of my joy today. Watching them grow into young adults is a wonderful feeling. They are my closest friends; I enjoy playing and learning alongside them. My relationship with Jesus is also a fundamental part of my joy, there is a very real peace and sense of belonging that I never had before that comes with knowing him.
Sebastian Cabrera
What brought you joy as a kid?
Since I can remember, music has brought me joy. My dad had a big influence on me. He especially listened to a lot of rock and roll.
What does joy mean to you?
When I listen to “Before Paris” by Tom Misch, I take notice of the following lyrics: You have to love this thing, man/ You have to love it and breathe it, and/ It's your morning coffee.” It reminds me of when it comes that which you love, and you are passionate about, you take the time to grow in it.
What brings you joy today?
One of the main things that brings me joy in life is music. I like to occasionally perform for the Reedley College Jazz band. I think of the movie Soul by Pixar since it has visuals that display how music feels when you perform. It is my voice. Music makes me feel enlivened.
It is an outlet for me and has inspired me to eventually study how music can be applied to therapy.
Annie Bautista
What brought you joy as a kid?
As a child, I felt the most joy when I visited my grandparent’s ranch. My sister, cousin, and I would always like to pretend we were in a zombie apocalypse and pick fruit from the trees to “survive.” I remember we stole an uncooked potato from my grandma’s kitchen, cut it open, and ate it to “survive”–it was nasty.
What does joy mean to you?
Joy is letting go of the fear of being judged and allowing yourself to just be you. Living as though no one is watching and being in the company of people you love the most is what being joyful is all about.
What brings you joy today?
Being a fangirl. I love yapping with my girls when new music gets released, fighting to get concert tickets, planning out our concert fits, and staying up late in hotels re-watching concert videos together.
Patty Santiago and Gaby Santiago, Twin sisters
What brought you two joy as a kids?
When we were children, we really enjoyed playing with each other. We would often make up the craziest storylines with our toys, which sometimes ended in fighting. However, we still cherish those moments even if one of us still holds a grudge.
What does joy mean to you?
Joy to me means to be content and at peace with the time and space you are in. It means to not want to be in any other moment but the one you are in. - Patty
For me, joy means living in the moment, being free from worries, and sharing fun, laughter filled experiences! - Gabby
What brings you joy today?
Today, I find joy through spending time with the people I care about the most. It does not matter what I do with them, I can watch a movie with them, talk to them for hours, or literally just sit next to them. I enjoy and love all these moments with my favorite people. - Patty
What brings me the most joy today is having time to relax and unwind. Whether it’s catching up with friends or watching a good movie, these moments recharge me and keep me going. - Gabby
Perhaps after reading these responses, perhaps you may be inspired to contemplate how joy fills the crevices and spaces in your life. I leave you with this poem by Robert Frost, “The way a crow/ Shook down on me/ The dust of snow/ From a hemlock tree/ Has given my heart/ A change of mood/ And saved some part/ Of a day I had rued.” Just like Frost, anything around you can touch and inspire your heart even in unexpected moments.
Over this next month, I hope you find some small moments of joy for yourself and in the presence of others.
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