The Joy Document
eBook - PDF

The Joy Document

  1. 217 pages
  2. English
  3. PDF
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

The Joy Document

About this book

Once you begin looking for joy, you can find it pretty much anywhere.

When Jennifer McGaha's grandmother was in her late eighties, Jennifer asked her what her favorite age so far had been. "Fifty-five," her grandmother answered, as though there were something magical about this stage of life, some deeper way of knowing from this vantage point. So, in her own fifty-fifth year, Jennifer began to take note. She jotted down her impressions of simple, everyday things that struck her as beautiful or humorous or intriguing and kept a list of all the accomplishments, large and small, that actually mattered to her.

These observations became Jennifer's Joy Document, a radical act of reclaiming joy and an exercise in paying attention. When you are determined to find joy, almost anything can becomerevelatory--an Earth Day Whole Foods errand, Claire Saffitz's fruitcake recipe, a harrowing ride in Twinkly Taxi, an evening picnic at Dvořák's Symphony No. 8, or cartwheels in the driveway. While many of us at midlife have found all the things we've strived for (the career, the better life, the organization tools), those things only go so far. And the search for something greater, something truer, begins. Through this lens, life after fifty becomes not the end or even the middle of life, but a new beginning, another grand adventure with endless opportunities to find joy. The Joy Document includes fifty rollicking and often humorous essays exploring the art of joy and inspiring the rest of us to do the same.

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Yes, you can access The Joy Document by Jennifer McGaha in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Personal Development & Social Science Biographies. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Dedication
  5. Contents
  6. Introduction
  7. 1. The Joy Document
  8. 2. Hanging in There (and Going Higher and Higher)
  9. 3. Cartwheels on a Gravel Road
  10. 4. Twinkly Taxi
  11. 5. Storytelling
  12. 6. Spice Up Your Life
  13. 7. The Beauty of the F Word
  14. 8. Gin and Bear It
  15. 9. The Chair of the Sidewalk Department
  16. 10. Mixed Messages
  17. 11. Folly
  18. 12. Eighties Expertise
  19. 13. Hot Stuff
  20. 14. Deer Romance
  21. 15. Willies
  22. 16. Subjunctive Mood
  23. 17. Wild Things
  24. 18. Wishing
  25. 19. Revision
  26. 20. In Synch
  27. 21. Surprisement
  28. 22. Name Calling
  29. 23. The Art of the Compliment Sandwich
  30. 24. Bathroom Troubles
  31. 25. Badass Biker Women
  32. 26. Truth Telling
  33. 27. Best Guesses
  34. 28. Free Fallin'
  35. 29. Gambling
  36. 30. Making Tacos
  37. 31. Goatly Passion
  38. 32. Haywire
  39. 33. Pie for Breakfast
  40. 34. Sand Nativities
  41. 35. Trifles
  42. 36. Ribbon Candy
  43. 37. Three Dog Mornings
  44. 38. Headshots
  45. 39. Seal Talk
  46. 40. The Guardian of the Lady Slippers
  47. 41. Game On
  48. 42. Backpack Burritos
  49. 43. The Trouble with Fiona
  50. 44. Do Not Give Notice Yet
  51. 45. Sacred Spaces
  52. 46. Magical Spring
  53. 47. Feel-Good, Freewheeling, Earth-Loving, Asheville-Scented Vibes
  54. 48. Common
  55. 49. Car Drop
  56. 50. Light Up My Life
  57. Guiding Questions: Creating Your Own Joy Document
  58. Acknowledgments