The Quiet Joy

A story about joy

It didn’t come with a bang. No music swelled. No sky cracked open.

They were washing dishes.

The plate was warm in their hands, the sponge soft and worn. Water ran over their skin, carrying the faint scent of lemon soap.

And then—a fullness.

Not excitement. Not pleasure. Just fullness. Like everything in the world had silently exhaled and taken its place.

The sunlight through the window landed on the counter, and it wasn’t beautiful. It was what it was. A rectangle of light. And it was enough.

They didn’t smile. There was no need to. The moment didn’t ask for a performance.

This joy didn’t rise from winning anything. It wasn’t the satisfaction of being right, or the thrill of being wanted. It wasn’t tied to any outcome at all.

It wasn’t even happiness.

It was closer to stillness.

And strangely, it was most present when nothing was happening.

Sitting in traffic. Hearing the kettle begin to boil. Watching dust hang in the air like quiet confetti.

Once, these moments had been ignored. Filler. Time between the real parts. Now they shimmered. Not because they were extraordinary, but because they asked for nothing.

And maybe that was it.

Maybe joy is what remains when life is no longer required to entertain you.

There had been so many years of reaching. For meaning, for ecstasy, for passion. As if joy was a prize that waited at the end of effort.

But this joy didn’t need to be earned. It arrived in absence. In the absence of needing something else.

And it had a flavor. Not sweet. Not salty. Something like clear water after a long walk.

Sometimes it came with tears. Not from sadness. From awe. Awe that this —this totally ordinary, ridiculous, fleeting life—was here. Was happening. And didn’t need to be different.

There was no need to capture it. No urge to write it down. Even the thought of sharing it seemed funny. Like trying to mail someone the feeling of wind on your face.

It just was.

Later that day, someone asked if they were doing okay.

"Yes," they said, and meant it.

Not because everything was perfect. Because nothing needed to be.

And that, they were beginning to see, was the secret.

Joy doesn’t require pleasure. It doesn’t resist pain.

It simply arrives when there is nothing left to chase.

And sometimes, it shows up while doing the dishes.

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For more pointers and suggestions, check out this link to vince-bot using the website as its knowledge base.

Vince Schubert YouTube Channel

Free online meetups every Saturday at 9 pm (Sydney Australia time)
and one each Monday 7 am ( Sydney Australia time)
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and every Friday 7 am (Sydney time) - never published.

You can check your local time here:

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..and more here; WakingUpWithMarius

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