Hello beautiful people,
I’ve been thinking a lot about joy lately. So much so that I made a friendship bracelet with the word JOY spelled out, which I wear every day as I marinate into 2026. I’ve given away a few of these special bracelets too, as I’ve encountered friends and situations that were also in the joy flow.
The wisdom I’ve gained from all of my life experiences is that this isn’t necessarily the kind of joy that waits for everything to line up just right—although that kind of joy is pretty spectacular. And it’s definitely not the “I’ll be joyful when…” version. It’s the quieter, steadier joy that shows up before the result, before the applause, before the certainty.
Joy as a way of being!
It’s how you show up each day for yourself and those lucky enough to be in your circle.
Joy has taught me how to listen to the unseen nudges that say, hey Marcia, this way.
And here’s the thing that still surprises me: joy doesn’t require perfection. It doesn’t demand constant happiness or endless optimism. It simply asks for presence. A willingness to notice what’s working. What’s meaningful. What’s already gold.
One of my BFFs recently shared a favorite quote with me, attributed to Clarissa Pinkola Estés:
“Joy is the matriarch of emotions, and she won’t come where she is not welcome.”
Boom. There it is.
So I don’t know about you, but I’m opening all the doors in my house and my heart, and putting out multiple welcome mats.
This is the essence of 2026 for me. My word of the year.
JOY!
(Happy to share, too…)
Do you have a word of the year? What prompted you to choose it?
Sending love, always,
mmc
PS: If joy knocks quietly today, it’s not being shy—it’s just checking to see if you’re home.
