I Wish You Joy

Finding joy in the world right now may seem hard. Our lives are so different from what we usually think of as normal or joyful in these summer months. I don’t need to remind anyone about what we are not doing now that we typically would be, and yet many people are finding joy in simple things—being at home and catching up on cleaning, touching base with family, or experiencing a calendar clear of obligations. 

I have been watching our grandchildren learn how to play board games, ride bikes, and tell stories. Behind each of these learnings, someone was teaching. It’s pure joy to witness the engagement and deep concentration from a teacher and learner as once-hidden skills and information are revealed.

The song “Your Joy,” by The Coats, a Seattle a cappella group, comes to mind when I see this deep learning. Here’s one of the lines from that song:

I love the thought of a teacher trying . . .

But most of all I want you to know that I love the thought of your joy.

Teaching and learning are both joyful! To be on either side of the act is joyful. A college basketball coach once told me that he took up guitar lessons during basketball season. He wanted to be able to play the guitar, but he also wanted to be reminded of how it feels to be a learner.

During the school year, we spend most of our time being the teacher. The summer gives us time to step back and experience the joy of being a learner. What are you learning, and what else might you learn this summer? Perhaps you are getting acquainted with a new author and reading their story, cooking a new recipe, learning to sing or play a new song, or discovering a new teaching technique such as distance learning, Daily 5, or CAFE.

Once we have learned the skill and discovered the gift of teaching, it never leaves us, and neither does the skill of being a learner.

So looking ahead in this new season, what will you be teaching?

What will you be learning?

Whatever you do, I wish you joy.