When editor Randi O'Brien approached me to write an article on joy, I couldn't help but burst into laughter. How does one capture the essence of joy in times like these? Yet, that's precisely what we need most right now, and so I agreed.
Growing up on a rural farm in Singapore with nine older siblings, I, as the youngest, enjoyed ample time exploring nature and indulging in daydreams. I often attribute my carefree and curious personality to my idyllic childhood of observing nature and playing with animals. However, as a teenager, a darker side emerged, growing alongside my height, and adulthood ushered in the pursuit of monetary comfort and the establishment of my own family.
My world took a transformative turn with the arrival of our second child – our autistic son. With him came a whirlwind of emotions: blame, grief, anger, and eventually, acceptance. Finding no peace in juggling my work as a dentist, his multiple therapies, and his behavioral issues, I vividly recall the moment I watched my kids playing in the yard and asking myself how to find happiness amidst this tsunami of challenges. The answer lay in shifting my perspective, celebrating small successes, noticing humor, and focusing on the simple joys that unfold in our daily routines. Since then, I have been more relaxed, more understanding towards my kids, and found my "sanity," which then translates to more peace and harmony within my family and better communication among us.
During the home-schooling journey with my son, our speech therapist suggested creating a "happy memory box," a paper box where we kept our happy previous experiences in pictures or written stories – whether it was a walk in the woods, jumping into piles of fallen leaves, or witnessing a flower bloom – making them tangible and concrete so that he could look back at those in moments of distress or when focusing on unhappy things. My son’s anxiety improved, and we both now pay more attention to things we find delightful. These became the inspiration for my joyful ceramic creations later.
