JOYfull

Growing up an athlete, being competitive was a natural state of being. I had to be better than the next person—to get that starting spot, to earn playing time, to be the star, to succeed. I’ll admit I was decent but I worked my butt off to get there. My sisters were far better than me at everything, so I lived for competition and it started early. 

Now that I’m older and see life through a different lens, my competitive side has died down for the most part. I haven’t lost that spirit, however. I’ve come to realize that life doesn’t always have to be a competition and learned that cheering for others to do and be great is perfectly acceptable and should be celebrated. I found joy in that. And a lot of it.

So what is joy? You might answer, “Oh, that’s simple, joy is happiness.” And you’re not wrong. The textbook definition of joy is pretty much that—a feeling of great pleasure and happiness. But how does that translate beyond words in a dictionary? And what does it actually mean? There are certainly things in life that bring me great pleasure but I would not consider them to be joyful. Likewise there are many things that make me happy but I’m not sure I would use joy to describe them. 

For me personally, joy is something I feel for others and not necessarily for myself. If someone were to ask what brings me joy, my answer would be this—watching other people succeed. Seems crazy when my whole life, everyone felt like competition with the goal of being better than me. And now, I experience tremendous happiness watching people excel. When other people are happy and successful, I genuinely feel joy.

I am fortunate that my career has allowed athletics to remain a constant in my life, although my role has changed. I have the great privilege of watching young athletes achieve their goals and succeed on a daily basis, which is amazing. It’s an honor to celebrate in their accomplishments—both small and large, on the field and off.

As an athletic trainer and the person responsible for handling injuries, I find myself in challenging situations. There are many times for which I encounter high school athletes at the lowest moment of their lives, after sustaining a serious injury—season ending and sometimes even, career ending. As I hold back my own tears and console a 16 year old kid who thinks he’ll never step foot on the field again, I reassure him that he’ll be back. I’ll make sure of it.

If you ask any of my athletes that have gone through physical therapy with me, particularly the functional training that takes place during the final weeks before returning—they will probably tell you they hate me and it’s torture. I always get a kick out of an athlete telling me they hate me or my rehab program. Through my chuckles, the response is usually, “well I love you and one day you’ll thank me.” I won’t lie, I put my kids through the gauntlet. I make them do a lot more than most other people would. Why? Because I know they can do it and I want to push them to that realization, and honestly—there is no greater joy than seeing that smile and watching one of my athletes, who once thought it wasn’t possible—take the field again and bring his dream back to life. And you better believe if I can be a part of making that happen, I am.

I generally don’t show much emotion at work and most times appear stone cold, but I promise if you catch me on a day that one of my kiddos is returning after a year of being out—you will see an ear-to-ear smile. It is pure joy spelled right across my face. There is just something so special about watching other people overcome adversity and achieve their goals and dreams. I live for that! 

You’re probably wondering if I only experience joy at work because that’s what I’ve made it seem like. The answer is no. I just spend a lot of time there. I am beyond blessed and experience joy all the time. If I’m interacting with others, there’s a high likelihood that joy is right in the center. We hear the saying, “find joy in the simple things.” But do we actually? What’s a simple thing? I’ll give you some examples of joy in simple things—in my life. 

One of my athletes after experiencing a traumatic injury a few months ago—“Mrs. Lydia, I can finally get my foot past 90 degrees.”—JOY

That unexpected phone call—“Lyd, guess what? I passed my drivers test!”—JOY

A text from a friend after overcoming unbelievable adversity—“I finally feel like myself again.”—JOY 

Watching my 10-year old GSP, happy as can be—running, jumping, hunting and playing, following two ACL surgeries and other health scares—JOY

Hearing the excitement in my dad’s voice when telling me he’s just about back to 100% after a long and unsure battle with COVID—JOY 

The list goes on and on. There is no doubt my life is JOYfull. Yes, I know it’s spelled incorrectly. It’s intentional. As we close out the second week of Advent, I hope you can take a few meaningful moments to reflect on your life. What truly brings you joy? What brings you a genuine ear-to-ear smile? Think of all those things. It’s probably more than you realize. 

With Christmas inching closer and the celebration of the birth of Christ upon us, let us not only remember, but act on the phrase—JOY to the world. Find ways to make life JOYfull, both for yourself and others. Joy is genuine happiness and should be felt and experienced by all. It will change your life. 

“And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at His birth.” —Luke 1:14