Joy is not handed to us. It is something we strive to create.
Fourteenth-century Europe was a dark point in human history, marked by famine, excessive rain, and the spread of the Black Death. Sources of pleasure were few and far between. It is interesting, then, that the definition of joy expanded at that time from simply the “feeling of pleasure and delight” to include the “source of pleasure or happiness.”
Looking back to joy’s Latin origin “gaudere” (“rejoice”), we find an important Proto-Indo-European cousin that tells a fuller story: the Middle Gaelic “guaire,” or “noble.” It is certainly a noble quest to find personal sources of joy against the odds of our surroundings. Seeking not just to survive but to relish the process is ultimately a quest for meaning, and something that helps define us as human.
I can confidently speak for everyone at I&S when I say there is great joy in the coming of spring. As the days shine longer, the birds sing louder, and the air grows (hallelujah) warmer, it is certainly getting easier to ruminate on the joy of design as well. But even under 108.6 inches of snow in Boston; even after flying all the way from Chicago to New York, only to fly right back home because the plane couldn’t land; even with a flu that felt like the Black Death incarnate, or a broken wrist that made amputation seem like a reasonable option, the people we’ve had the pleasure of working with this winter have managed to survive—and thrive—through all the struggles it threw our way.
This month, we see joy in overcoming obstacles, joy in strengthening community, and, above all, joy in finding passion and meaning in whatever we choose to do. And, of course, we can always find joy in laughter. That’s why we snuck a couple jokes in this month’s issue—hope you can spot them!
Erika Templeton | Editorial Director
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