When joy unexpectedly finds us
Dear Cog reader,
I celebrated July Fourth on the beach, where I spent a lot of time observing children explore the threshold between sea and shore. Watching them chase one wave out only to be chased back by the next coming in never gets old — at least when it’s not your kid, and you don’t have to enforce nap-time or reapply their sunscreen. I’m especially amused by the kids who spend hours rolling around and digging in the sand, unbothered by looking like a panko-crusted cutlet.
It's a study in joy.
My favorite beach activities involve a little less movement and a lot less sand. I also love that liminal space where the beach ends and the ocean begins. I carry my chair, a beer and a book down there, let my toes sink into the sand while I turn the pages. After I drag my chair home, an outdoor shower under the shade of our fig tree is one of summer’s great pleasures.
That’s the kind of joy I expect at the beach. What I wasn’t expecting this week was to feel joyful doing chores. We hosted brunch for our entire block. The party prep necessary to feed 40 people gave me plenty of time to interact with every member of my family. My husband and I planned the menu. My mom and I went grocery shopping. My brother and I repaired a bench. We had long, meandering conversations while we worked, and laughed so hard my belly hurt.
But joy can be unpredictable like that. Just ask Tracey Palmer, a 59-year-old woman with two grown daughters who wrote this week about the pure joy of being a superfan of BTS. Tracey originally set out to write about the K-pop boy band’s first official book, but ended up writing a story about how she went from skeptical to singing BTS songs at the top of her lungs in a language she doesn’t speak.
Or ask Rich Barlow, whose piece about the joy of driving an impractical sports car might inspire you to attend “Miata Day” at Brookline’s Larz Anderson Auto Museum later this morning. You could even ask Ellen Braaten, a child psychologist, who extolls the joys of a summer job for teens.
As Tracey explains in her piece, these pleasures aren’t about escapism. They’re about life. I find it reassuring these stories can coexist with complicated conversations around affirmative action and free speech, wildfires and war. And I’m proud that Cog makes space for them.
Thanks for reading,
Kate Neale Cooper
Editor, Cognoscenti
