I looked up the meaning of joy because I was curious if my personal meaning matched the prevalent meaning, and it appears to be the same. To me, joy is an intense feeling, a kinetic emotion of delight and elation and even jubilation. I call it a kinetic emotion because it seems to be one of movement, an uplifting rather than a more static feeling of perhaps contentment or satisfaction.
Nothing anymore gives me that kinetic feeling of joy, nor does much of anything make me feel the lowering kinetic emotions such as anger and angst and outrage. I’m usually balanced somewhere in the middle rather than clinging to a vastly swinging emotional pendulum, which is how I like it.
There are many simple activities that bring me satisfaction, that take me out of myself and absorb my attention. I used to go to the library all the time, but I’ve taken against that simple pleasure, and so I find other things to do rather than spend all my time reading. Daily blogging, obviously, is one thing that takes up time once dedicated to reading. (I say obviously because . . . here I am!)
I’ve also bought a bunch of pencil puzzles books, a deal since they are outdated magazines, but that’s certainly not a problem since they’re all new to me. There are plenty of different kind of puzzles to keep my mind active, and I tend to think doing puzzles is better for mental stimulation than reading is.
Another activity I’m getting back into is paint-by-number. I used to get a kit occasionally when I was a child, and always enjoyed them, but then they disappeared for decades. My sister sent me a couple of kits for Christmas a few years ago, and that got me started again. They make me feel as if I am actually painting when all I am doing is coloring with paints, but filling in all those shapes satisfies something in me — my sense of order, perhaps.
Doing puzzles seems to be replacing reading, though I do read the books I have in the house especially when I eat. (I can’t seem to develop the habit of sitting down at a table by myself to eat. I know it’s supposed to be better for me, but it seems too bizarre and maybe too earthy to do nothing but concentrate on eating, which leads me to believe I don’t really like to eat.) And doing paint-by-number seems to be replacing computer games, though I still check in with a hidden object game most days.
And, of course, there is gardening. How could I have forgotten that, especially since I just came in from watering my plants and picking a few weeds.
Doing simple things gives my life a sense of balance, peace, and sometimes satisfaction, though the satisfaction doesn’t come from the doing so much as the having done. Seeing a picture come to life, finishing a puzzle book and starting a new one, seeing flowers growing in my yard and basking in the greenness all give me something better than joy. They give me a quiet feeling of contentment.
***
Pat Bertram is the author of Grief: The Inside Story – A Guide to Surviving the Loss of a Loved One
Bertram's Blog 
May 19, 2026 at 1:32 pm
I share your definition of joy versus contentment. My life is mostly one of contentment, but I do still have some truly joyful and yes, occasional angry moments.
For instance, joy came last week when I opened the door to find one of my out-of-town daughters standing there to surprise me with a Mothers’ Day visit. I was ecstatic!
These days the only extremely negative emotion I seem to feel is outrage at President Trump’s words and/or actions as I listen to him on TV or video. My reactions are probably exacerbated by the knowledge that as a Canadian living in Canada my opinion can have absolutely no effect on the American situation. Although I have a great fondness for many friends and family living there, my only useful response has been to change my shopping and travelling habits to focus only on non-USA products and destinations, which ultimately neither helps the people nor changes how the President functions.
But I do find contentment in many daily pursuits. A few puzzles, a lot of reading, a bit of writing, some gardening (I *must* get out and water the new bedding plants this afternoon!), all bring me pleasure. I’m not attracted to paint-by-number art, perhaps because I’ve done a lot of ‘from scratch’ oil painting–mostly landscapes–and following someone else’s predetermined colour choices and outlines doesn’t appeal. Then again, my daughter published a few lovely grown-up colouring books during one of her writing-hiatus periods, and I enjoyed doodling in them with my coloured pencils.
Mostly I appreciate the “simple things”. I prefer to experience life on an even keel rather than with too many extreme ups and downs. 🙂