Joy can strengthen our resolve, help us unlock creativity, and bolster our resilience. In Fix’s Joy Issue, we explore the importance and power of finding joy in the face of grief, anger, and a changing climate.
One morning in May, I noticed the okra seedlings in our garden had chunks bitten off their leaves. Pill bugs, I suspected. Or, as my children know them, roly-polies. I started poking around the stems, and, sure enough, roly-polies in various stages of development, from eggs to adults, clustered around the fragile young plants. I recoiled in disgust. Then I had an idea. “Miles, come look!” I yelled.
My 3-year-old happened to be poking at something on the ground nearby and scurried over. I asked if he wanted to help pluck out the roly-polies and he happily stuck his fingers in the dirt. We spent the next few minutes with our eyes close to the soil, noticing not only pill bugs but also ants, earthworms, and teensy red arachnids called clover mites. When the earthworm we placed on the stone garden border squirmed back into the dirt, Miles squealed, “He’s running away!” Every creature’s movement was cause for exclamatio... Read more
