Whereas the tape measure is the most basic there are many other measurables at our disposal. My sports watch measures Heart Rate, Heart Rate Variability, how fast I ran, how far I ran, how many steps I took, how well I slept, how much stress I experienced, how well I am recovered, what I was wearing. The list goes on.

In the weight loss genre the scale seems to be the most basic and then even discarded with a ‘muscle is heavier than fat you know’ comment.
The implication is that we can not measure what is really going on. Maybe even what is important.

My sports watch certainly does not tell me if I had fun yesterday or if a run felt good. It can’t even tell me how tired I am. It tries but I know I feel differently. Currently the curves point down (like I am over my peak) but I think I am building to something better. Anyway I digress. It certainly can not predict how much fun I will have in the future.

Many years ago a photographer friend was showing me around my new camera when he said he wished there was a sensor with a big red warning light that said this was a bad photo. Exposure, focus, composition could all be text book but the print (remember those?) could still be awful.

So what is it about a good photo or even good art? Without going too far down this rabbit hole good art is compelling enough to draw us back repeatedly. Because it has something to offer us on each new visit. Better art offers this across more people. We agree that there is something. Something beyond the describable. Something that inspires, lifts, connects.

Maybe joy is like that too.
Unmeasurable but true. Joy shared (like art) makes it more.

Let us seek and share Joy!

PS: I am reminded of ‘The Book of Joy‘ by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. A real gem about joy for life shared by two of the world’s great leaders.