8 LIFESTYLE
LIFESTYLE 9
SANTA ANA COLLEGE el Don/eldonnews.org • MONDAY, MAY 22, 2017
art
the
of
joy
Happiness
is Simple
Finding peace of mind is easier than you think
STORY BY AURIELLE WEISS
To many, joy feels elusive, swiftly pass-
ing with each emotional experience.
However, true joy is simple. It's found
in the midst of pain, happiness or even
in the mundane. Some fi nd joy in the
beauty of motherhood. Others fi nd joy
in their religion or in serving others.
With the right mindset, fi nding or creat-
ing joy is easily accessible.
Most confuse happiness with joy, as
the diff erence is subtle. Joy is a state of
being while happiness is an emotional
response to something positive. Wife
and mother of two, Maddie Hansen,
further describes how they diff er.
“The diff erence between joy and hap-
piness is most stark in the presence of
suff ering. The beauty of true joy is that
it cannot be robbed by pain, it can be in
the midst of the mundane. The abiding
hopefulness I receive through self-sac-
rifi ce, wiping little bottoms or giving of
my time. Joy can exist in the presence
and absence of the emotion happiness.”
The research Sonja Lyubomirsky doc-
uments in her book, The How of Hap-
piness, points out that acts of service
are almost always found in the lives of
those who sustain true joy. Whether it is
found in your family and friendships, at
church, amoung coworkers or strangers,
doing things for other people brings
you joy.
“I don't have more joy in motherhood
because I have awesome kids who do
beautiful things that make me feel hap-
py. My joy in motherhood is a byprod-
uct of letting my life be lived in greater
part as service to others,” Hansen said.
“Raising kids is painful and hard at
times, but it's precisely the exercise of
denying myself that leads to fulfi llment.”
One of the most important aspects of
living a joyful life is sustaining healthy
relationships. Bruce Sonnenberg has
been a pastor for 45 years and married
to his wife Joni for 47. He fi nds joy in
t