1. Snow 

I walk outside, still hazy from sleep, and am blinded by the vast stretches of glaring white on the ground. On my way to my 9 a.m. class, I suffer from a couple of mini heart attacks, nearly slipping on a pile of melted snow and then again on some unsalted ice.

Now that the initial excitement of having snow again has died off, I pray that it goes away soon.

But, when I’m walking back to my dorm, a guy stops me and asks if I can take a picture of him. He leads me to an impressive snow sculpture of a frog, and I ask if he made it. He shakes his head and says that he just saw it and liked it.

Someone has made a frog out of snow, and this stranger has found enough amazement in it to want a picture with it. I hand him back his phone, and my heart tugs at his big smile when he thanks me.

As I reach my dorm, passing by the same melted snow and ice that nearly caused my demise, I can’t help but notice how pretty the snow really is, white and glittering and dotted with footprints.

  2. Re-meeting someone

I’m rushing to my Chinese one-on-one speaking lesson, periodically glancing down at my phone to check the time. I’d forgotten that they’re starting this week, and now I’m just hoping that I’m not so late that I’m marked absent.

When I get there, I see the TA who also facilitated my one-on-one lesson last semester, and I immediately brighten up. After last semester, I thought I would only see her in passing on campus.

My dread for this lesson quickly dissipates as we talk. As she complains to me about computer science and laughs with me to ease my embarrassment when I stumble over a word, I fall into a comfortable familiarity, even if we only ever see each other during these lessons.

  3. My friends’ laughs

I’ve recently noticed that my friends have very distinct laughs.

Every time that we’re together, and I make a joke that they laugh at, I observe each of them, noting the different ways their laughter takes over them: Do their shoulders shake? Do their eyes squint? Do they laugh with their whole body, doubling over, or are they still except for a few tremors?

One friend leans forward, eyes widening as his laughs come out breathless, like he’s surprised by it every time. Another covers her mouth when she laughs, hands cupping her nose and mouth as her eyes squint. My other friend stays still as he laughs, his face scrunching instead.

I take care to note a new feature of their laughs every time I see it, not for any particular reason. I just love to see the different ways joy passes over their expressions, and I know I could recognize any of these laughs in a room full of hundreds of people.

  4. Rain against the window

I return to my dorm after winter break only to find that my roof is leaking. Dirty water has stained some of my belongings and the room has a strange, musty smell. Even worse, after filing a report to Facilities, they let me know that the leak is from the roof of the building and can’t be fixed until the weather warms up, meaning I’ll have to put up with it for at least another few weeks. Every time I see that rain or snow is predicted for the next day, I sigh, knowing that my dorm will suffer from it.

One Saturday night, I’m staying up to write a response paper for my English class when I hear the dreaded sound of rain starting. The intensity of the rain kicks up from a drizzle to a shower in a matter of minutes, and I groan. I was already irritated by my lack of progress on the paper, and the rain has just made it worse. 

But, as I continue to work through my essay, the sound of rain evens out, becoming white noise in the background. The steady drops of rain against my window don’t fill me with dread but instead form a calm and soothing rhythm.

I fall asleep to those steady raindrops knocking against my window.

  5. Strangers’ joy

It’s another unfortunate day where I’ve had to lock myself in the Rock and cram my assignments. I can hear a group of people at a large table nearby speaking far too loudly for a library, and I turn up the music in my headphones with annoyance. I roll my eyes, thinking about a Sidechat post I saw that complained about how some first years disregard common courtesy in libraries.

But, as I’m packing up and sneaking a glance over at them, they’re all giggling, faces red with laughter. I can remember when I was a first year, and every day felt like that, bursting with unrestrained, new glee.

My irritation abates, and I shrug it off. Sure, it’s a bit inconsiderate, but I’ll let them have this moment.

Even when I am irritated, I’ve learned not to let my frustration cloud my vision. With just a small adjustment in perception, I can turn that annoyance into something far more productive.

Joy does not always come easy. Sometimes joy is not something you stumble upon, but something that you have to search for yourself.