Clothed in Joy

Joy : noun - "a feeling of great pleasure and happiness." When I think of the word joy I think of an emotion, or experience. A moment in the past, or perhaps a dream of the future. Often our world thinks of joy as something you must obtain. Some may say that "Once you get to to that season of life you'll experience true joy," or "Once you land that dream job you'll find joy." I would like to propose that joy is not something you find, or earn. Joy is something that you must choose.

After experiencing difficult seasons of growth, I have seen the beauty of what choosing joy looks like in a situation that seems to lack it. Choosing joy is not just deciding to be happy despite your circumstance, but it is choosing to find hope in all things. Life is so easy to doubt that there is any purpose in what you are doing and to get caught up in the day-to-day business. We were created to live a life abundantly; therefore, we should never let a day end without allowing joy to be a part of it.

I fully believe it is the little things that help us choose joy even when there seems to be none left. I seek out moments in each day to experience this such as a deep conversation with an old friend, a laugh that makes your eyes water, a warm cup of coffee, sunshine hitting your skin as you walk outside for the first time, and discovering things to be grateful for. For myself, I find joy even on hard days through fashion. I believe when we use fashion as a tool to embrace who we are, we are more confident. Fashion was created as a creative outlet for people to experiment, embrace, and grow. Finding joy through your favorite pair of ripped jeans and an embellished blouse is using couture for what it is made for.

Joy can be found in many things, but I think true beauty is found when we choose joy in circumstances where none is there. If we want to live fully, we must be bold in what we do, how we dress, and most importantly, who we are.