JOY

I was driving when I felt Joy!

Joy.

It might sound banal, as we say in French. But if you’ve experienced trauma—especially childhood trauma—moments of peace or fleeting happiness can happen. They come like a soft breeze, and then they’re gone. But joy? Joy with a capital J—the kind that stays, that roots itself deep, bringing calm to the mind, body, and soul—that kind of joy can feel almost impossible to reach.

For so long, I wondered: How does joy feel? How do you recognize it when your heart has carried so much weight?