Health, purpose, longevity—great. But where is the joy?
This past weekend, my wife and I were exploring the stunningly rebuilt waterfront of Brooklyn when we considered how we should return home to Manhattan. There was the subway: efficient, close by, and low cost. There was Uber: above-ground, surprisingly costly, and semi-reliable. And then there was a boat, more specifically: the NYC Ferry. This option required installing an app, figuring out which boat to take, and then walking 25 minutes from the dock to our home afterward. All in all, the longest option and unfamiliar.
However, $4.00 for a ticket to take a high-speed boat ride on a sunny, warm day across a riverway, with astounding views of the city was one of those grin ear-to-ear moments of wow. Our friend, the illustrator Robert Neubecker, has a series of kids’ books that begin with the word wow. May I suggest a new one: Wow Boat! The mere five minutes we spent on the ferry brought back our child-like sensation of limitless joy. It was awesome. Not to oversell the ferry, which is just a commuter boat across the East River, but sometimes taking the effort to do the more awkward, less efficient thing is way more fun.
What brings you joy? What do you like to do for fun? As odd as it may sound—because this stuff is often so thoroughly buried in the recesses of our minds—making a list can be helpful. Not a bucket list of big things, just a list of the small things that rock our world. Maybe it is tossing a basketball at night on an outdoor court. Maybe it is learning to make clay pots with your hands. Maybe it is going to an arthouse to see a classic film.
Oftentimes, we look around us for what is immediately available, which is fine. However, if we put some effort in, it seems to multiply the memories created in the process. This effortful fun, these joyful moments created on purpose may feel awkward at first, or worse, riskier than they let on—yet they are just as worthy of our efforts as all the serious life and health stuff we focus on. In fact, they may be the whole reason we do them. Life is full of wondrous discoveries, even if sometimes we stubborn types need to be dragged on those boats. Today will only happen once, that boat ride will never be the same; so, what can we do to add some joy to our day today?
Onward and upward,
David
