Finding Joy

 

Two weeks ago, Sorath and Ivana asked me to come up here and speak about joy, which I thought would be the least joyous thing I’ve ever done. But here I am, and I was right.

 

Even though it is really difficult for me to speak in front of you all, I know that once I sit back down with my wonderful House, I will be overwhelmed with joy, because that is what joy is to me. Joy is fighting for my life all night studying for a bio quiz, and then getting it back and finding out that I didn’t fail!

 

The only hard thing about doing hard things is not doing them at all. I find joy in overcoming challenges, and proving to myself that I am capable of anything I set my mind to. I may not be joyous right now, I’m actually pretty anxious, but I will be joyous when I look back at my time in Shawnigan and can say that I’ve tried everything it had to offer. I don’t know what will bring me joy in the future, I don’t really know what the future will even bring as I graduate and move on with my life. But I know that right now, here at this school with all my friends, I can find joy anywhere and everywhere. Thank you.

 

 

When I returned home from school this past weekend, I was greeted with my dad eagerly holding an ax. He asked me to go cut down our Christmas tree with him — something we had never done, or even talked about doing. Nevertheless, I quickly agreed, and although I was a little skeptical at first, it quickly became one of my most treasured memories.

 

When I was asked to speak in Chapel about something that brings me joy, I immediately thought of my family, my friends, and finding joy in the little things. But none of these felt quite right. Don’t get me wrong — these things all bring me so much joy, but I felt like I was missing something. That’s when I realized what I wanted to talk about: finding joy in unexpected places. Some of my favorite memories have been made when I least expected it. There have been times when I was tired and didn’t want to go out, but I went anyway — and ended up having an amazing time that I would have regretted missing. There were times when I had a lot of prep to do but going to that hockey game turned out to be exactly what I needed. I also find joy in the smaller, unexpected places: racing back to evening sign-in and making it just in time, going on impromptu walks on Saturdays, and staying up way too late talking to my roommate.

 

These spontaneous decisions have led to my best memories. My recommendation to all of you is this: take a chance or do something you don’t necessarily want to do. I promise that sometimes, that’s when you’ll make your most treasured memories.

 

 

People ask me how I stay positive most of the time and how I manage to smile so often.

"Always try to see the bright side of things," someone wise once told me. In other words, there's usually something to learn, grow from, or enjoy even when things don’t go as planned. It’s not about ignoring life’s hard parts; it’s about choosing to focus on the things that can make the tough times better. When you realize that every problem can make us stronger or smarter in some way, and that every setback can lead to a comeback, smiling becomes easy.

 

 

Today, I will be talking about something quite important to me: joy. What is joy? In my opinion, joy can be found at any moment in life. Like the sound of a basketball when it swishes through the net, or the time when your friends laugh after you’ve done something really stupid together. But joy doesn’t mean just feeling happy. It can also be feeling appreciated by someone you value. One instance was when I had a really awful day when I made a mistake and was in conflict with people. I asked Ms. Brigham-Gale for some help and she patiently gave me advice on how to solve my problems. It made me feel like I was seen and valued. It wasn’t pure happiness, it was knowing someone in school cared for me. Finding joy always makes me feel better no matter what happens in my life. Find your joy and appreciate the things or people in life that bring it to you.