Find the Joy
The world we live in is a noisy place. There are demands on our time and our attention. There are moments when it seems there is more negativity, frustration, and toil than there are moments of joy.
And yet, I’ve found that taking a moment to stop and appreciate the smaller, quieter things does a lot to quiet the noise and bring me back to what’s really important.
I live in a suburban neighborhood. There are cattle in the fields where I turn off the highway to come into my little town. Or, there were. Our hamlet is growing quickly. With it come some conveniences: closer stores, better restaurants, more variety and choice. Growth also brings more traffic, more building, and farm pastures turning into new shopping centers.
This is all OK. And yet, I crave quiet.
We purposely bought a home that faces a walking trail and backs up to a field. That field now includes homes that back up to ours. And one particularly loud neighbor. Our peaceful backyard is now interrupted by a hacking noise that I’m convinced means he needs to see a lung doctor.
The noise, coughing, construction, traffic, can make me leap to the extreme: I must move. I miss the sounds of nature.
And yet, as anyone I meet with regularly can tell you, there are fun sights outside my office window that bring me joy almost every day. Lizards crawl on my tree and do their little “push-ups.” Birds feed their young. I have even seen a roadrunner.
Mind you, said roadrunner ate my favorite lizard, so now I’m not sure which category I’d put him in. He’s beautiful, funny, and a feral little killer.
The point is: in those moments when I despair and think the only solution is either to stay upset about the noise or move, I can instead choose to notice and appreciate the wonders right in front of me.
My little office window is a metaphor for life.
I can choose to let things get me down. Or I can appreciate the moments that bring me joy.
In our work as fundraisers, the same thing can happen. There are incredible highs and bright moments. A surprise gift. A donor who shares a deep life moment with us. A kind word from the boss. A conversation that reminds us why this work matters.
And those moments can quickly get lost in the noise: admin work, CRM issues, internal organizational tension, work relationship strife, and the thousand tiny things that can make a good calling feel heavy.
Unfortunately, it’s not 50/50.
The joyful moments don’t always shout the loudest. Sometimes they’re quiet. Sometimes they’re small. Sometimes they look like a donor remembering your name, a team member trying again, a handwritten note, or a lizard doing push-ups outside your window like he has somewhere very important to be.
So today, I hope we will all take time to notice the moments that bring us joy.
Kara and I believe our highest calling in this profession is to be brokers of joy. We help donors experience the joy of giving. We help fundraisers rediscover the joy of connection. We help organizations remember that generosity is not just a transaction. It is a deeply human exchange.
And the best way to broker joy is to notice it first. Then pass it on.
Included here are a few photos of the nature I see every day. Maybe nature is not your thing, but I’m sharing my joy anyway, even the roadrunner I love/hate.
We’d love to know: what brings you joy?