Hi there, I’m Joy Nicholas!
If you have ever been to a Daiso, I don’t have to tell you how amazing these stores are. But if you haven’t, picture this: the dollar section of Target, but way, WAY better. It’s a store filled with every possible thing you could need for your life—cleaning items, clothing and underwear, cosmetics, decor, kitchen utensils, stationary and art supplies, even food—all costing five dollars or less per item.
It happened when we lived in Busan, South Korea, several years ago. I went there actually needing something, I’m sure, though sometimes especially on hot days when I could enjoy the store’s air conditioning, I just walked the aisles. Anyway, all I remember from that day, though, is passing by the section that had toilet seats (yes, even toilet seats are available at Daiso!) and something catching my eye. Maybe it’s because there were never mugs or pencils or those popular license plate keychains with the name “Joy” when I was growing up, but I’ve become attuned to finding any place that has the word/ my name written on it. I paused, backed up, and checked to make sure I’d seen correctly. Indeed I had. The lid of the toilet seat was inscribed with the words “Find joy in the ordinary.”
I burst out laughing and snapped the selfie above to send to my parents.
I still laugh a little thinking about it, but that’s what this newsletter is all about: finding joy in the ordinary and extraordinary, at home and adventuring—in all the parts of the world. It’s not all sunshine and butterflies, but I think joy in its truest form goes deeper than that.
A little more about me: I’ve been happily married for quite a while to a wonderful and extremely patient man named Matt. We have five kids with a sixteen-year age gap between from the oldest to the youngest. I was born in Bangladesh, and I have lived there, Thailand, Malaysia, Spain, South Korea, and the USA. Right now, I call Germany home.
By subscribing to Joy in the World, you won’t miss any posts. I only write a few a month (best case scenario), so don’t worry about my emails filling up your inbox and giving you more "clutter”. And the best news? It’s free. Subscribing will make my heart grow three sizes or something like that. Seriously. I appreciate it so much!
XO, Joy
Here’s where you can find more of my writing around the internet:
Fathom Magazine
I’ve Glimpsed One of the Monsters
Coffee + Crumbs
Tales from the Survivor of a Broken Butt
The Tree That You Come Home To
Legacy Magazine
Fallow House
She Is Kindred
I’m also on Instagram at Joynicholaswrites!
I’d love for you to subscribe and start a conversation about this thing called joy.
