Delight, noun — Definition of delight (Entry 1 of 2)
1: a high degree of gratification or pleasure: joy — children squealing in delight. Also: extreme satisfaction — seems to take delight in the misfortunes of others
2: something that gives great pleasure — her performance was a delight
3 archaic: the power of affording pleasure — “of more delight than hawks or horses be,” Shakespeare
Delight, verb — delighted; delighting; delights. Definition of delight (Entry 2 of 2) intransitive verb
1: to take great pleasure — delighted in playing the guitar
2: to give keen enjoyment — a book certain to delight
Delight, transitive verb: to give joy or satisfaction to — Her books delight readers of all ages.
These are Marriam-Webster definitions of “delight.” Last week on This American Life on NPR, I heard a new (to me) definition — the speaker defined delight as the butterflies flitting around joy. That imagery really spoke to me.
The entire episode was about delight, and finding it in big and small things. If you missed it, I recommend listening to it. Stories the hosts shared were like a breath of fresh air. Considering the global and personal events of the past year, this topic caught me by surprise.
All last year, I’ve searched ways to distract myself, trying to fill my time as much as possible with enjoyable activity. But I hadn’t given much consideration to joy itself.
After hearing the radio show, I’ve pondered different types of joy and happiness. Contentment, pleasure, satisfaction, glee, gladness, wonder, elation, bliss, amusement, etc., can all be experienced as unique emotions.
After writing last week that I made no New Year’s resolutions, I decided, after all, to start one a bit late — to find at least one single delight each day.
I’ve already started, and keeping happiness at the forefront of my mind has already helped me. While we have to do things every day (for work, or basic survival) that don’t particularly bring us joy, there might be more pleasures tucked away in each day than we realize.
Making bread last week, I considered — is this my piece of delight for today? I sometimes view this as a chore, but really enjoy the process: Stretching the dough, watching the wild yeast work it’s magic to transform wet flour into tasty bread. This process brings me contentment and pleasure. Sparks of delight emanate each time I take a baked loaf out of the oven.
The mindful process of seeking delight daily allows me to recognize other types of enjoyment in both everyday tasks and small unique experiences.
Writing this, I found my daily delight. Pausing to choose my words, I gazed out the window. In a vase of evergreens on the windowsill, the holly I’d picked last month was browning, definitely failing to bring any joy. Then I noticed where leaves had fallen off, clusters of tiny white and green flowers had emerged.
I’ve seen holly berries before, but never noticed the blooms. These sweet, modest flowers, coming to bloom and persevering indoors despite the odds, brought me enduring flutters of delight.
To help me savor big and small joys I plan to track them in a paper journal and on my blog and Instagram. I’m hopeful the self-set 2021 challenge will ease this year’s hardships and make them more bearable than those of the past.
I invite you, dear reader, to join me in seeking daily delights. If you are inclined to spread your delight share them with me, your friends and family.
