Where Joy Truly Lives: Rediscovering Happiness in the Simple Things
We spend years chasing joy in all the wrong places, only to find it waiting quietly in the natural, uncostly moments that ask nothing of us but our attention.
Seeking Joy
William H. Davies
Joy, how I sought thee!
Silver I spent and gold,
On the pleasures of this world,
In splendid garments clad;
The wine I drank was sweet,
Rich morsels I did eat—
Oh, but my life was sad!
Joy, how I sought thee!
Joy, I have found thee!
Far from the halls of Mirth,
Back to the soft green earth,
Where people are not many;
I find thee, Joy, in hours
With clouds, and birds, and flowers—
Thou dost not charge one penny.
Joy, I have found thee!
Reflection
William H. Davies reminds us that joy is not something we purchase, earn, or chase through extravagant living. It often hides beneath the simple rhythms of life—clouds drifting, birds singing, flowers blooming. The poem invites us to consider how easily we overlook the joy already around us, mistaking noise for fulfillment and motion for meaning. When we return to the quiet places within and around us, we rediscover a joy that costs nothing yet enriches everything. True joy has always lived close to the earth, close to the heart, waiting for us to notice.
As you read this poem, ask yourself:
Where have you overlooked simple, cost-free moments of joy in your own life—and how might you welcome more of them?