What If Joy Is the Way Back to You?
A Poem for the Tired, Tender, and Trying Again
Joy says:
Hey.
Remember me?
I’m not here to throw confetti.
I’m not asking you to fake a smile.
I’m not loud or flashy or “productive.”
I’m just… yours.
I live in
belly-laughs you didn’t plan,
sunlight on your shoulder,
a song you didn’t skip.
I show up
in the soft middle of your day
when you finally exhale
and stop asking yourself to be more
than you already are.
But I get it.
You’re tired.
You’re holding things together.
You’re juggling the calendar, the expectations, the invisible weight
no one else sees.
And joy?
Joy can feel distant.
Frivolous.
Like something reserved for people
who don’t have so much on their shoulders.
But what if joy
isn’t the reward for getting it right?
What if it’s the way back to yourself?
What if it’s the quiet nudge that says:
This matters.
You matter.
Right now. Not later.
So today, don’t chase it.
Just notice it.
A moment that makes you soften.
A choice that feels lighter.
A breath that reminds you you’re still here.
That’s where joy begins.
Not in the perfect life.
But in the present one.
And if you’ve forgotten how to find it,
I’d love to walk with you.
Let’s talk about what lights you up and how to make more room for that.
xo,
Coach Niks
