A good strawberry is a moment of grace. – Ruth Reichl, Chef and Food writer

Adulation for a strawberry is not what I would expect to hear from a world-renowned food writer and chef like Ruth Reichl. I would expect to hear about the joys of a fancy meal in Paris, but not the simple gift of a juicy strawberry. I understand the sentiment because cutting into an avocado and discovering that there is not one speck of brown is a moment of extreme grace and favor.

Ruth Reichl was a guest on Julia Louis-Dreyfuss’ brilliant podcast Wiser Than Me. Julia Louis-Dreyfuss interviews older women who share life lessons and wisdom packaged in nuggets that affirm and confirm we are all trying to do the best we can as we journey through life. Sometimes we need to hear from people who are ahead of us that there is life on the other side of difficult seasons of life.

A prominent theme in Vice President Kamala Harris’s 2024 presidential campaign was joy. I wasn’t surprised that the joy theme resonated with some of the American electorate. For the last several years, the national mood has been characterized by anger, anxiety, pessimism, blame, and juvenile behavior. In the past five years, Americans have experienced a global pandemic, social unrest, economic strife, divisive politics, social isolation, and a pervasive sense that the worst is yet to come. A portion of the American electorate wanted to be reminded that there is still room for joy in our country, even in the midst of a dark national mood.

I must remind myself that even though I have experienced a dark season, there is still room for joy in my life. For me, the last five years have been marked by grief, loss, stagnation, lost opportunities, and unwise choices that have cost me financially, professionally, and personally. I am not at the stage where I can say that I am glad it happened this way. I have reached the point where I will need to make some significant changes for course correction. While I have taken the time to grieve and continue to process loss, I haven’t been as focused on appreciating the moments of joy and grace that I have experienced during this time. Moments like starting my day by lighting a candle and savoring my morning coffee. I have moments of joy at the gym when I do something I thought I couldn’t do anymore. I’ve had moments of grace recently by reconnecting with old friends, peers, and colleagues who also want to share their moments of loss and hardship.

I recently had an experience that reminded me that joy is not so far away if we only allow ourselves to take the time to recognize it. George Michael is one of my favorite singers, and I still listen to his music regularly. He died in 2016, so the opportunity to see him in concert is obviously no longer possible. I received an email announcing that a production titled “The Life and Music of George Michael” was coming to town, and I immediately decided to attend the show. I figured this was my one chance to see George’s music performed live. As the show date approached, I grew concerned because I worried this would be like a bad karaoke show or one of those corny tribute musicals. George Michael could really sing, and someone butchering his songs would not do! I attended the show, and it was excellent! My favorite moments were when the audience sang along to George’s music and danced in their seats. Regardless of age or ability, people were getting it in. My absolute favorite moment of the show was when the audience was on its feet, singing and dancing to the song “Freedom.”  The song is an anthem (which we don’t have many of anymore), and even though it’s thirty-five years old, it still resonates, and it got the crowd fired up! I left the show feeling better than I have in a long time. I was inspired and stirred up. I felt alive. These are the moments we must be vigilant to recognize and cherish.

Waiting for huge life milestones to happen is why most of us often fail to recognize and cherish the moments of joy in our everyday lives. My last significant life milestone was my college graduation, which occurred over twenty years ago. I have no idea when the next one will happen or if it will, but I won’t wait until it does to acknowledge and accept moments of grace and joy in my life.

Grief and loss have taught me that life is fleeting and that we need to appreciate the moments of grace, and especially the moments of joy. We rarely experience the huge milestones of pleasure that we have been conditioned to chase, so our job becomes to observe those moments of grace and joy in our daily lives, such as our morning coffee, our favorite hoodie, the friendly barista at the coffee shop, or rediscovering a song or TV show we forgot about.

I often misjudge the time it takes for an avocado to ripen, even though I put them into the refrigerator when they start getting somewhat soft; so, when I cut into an avocado, and it is a perfect shade of bright green, I dance because in this moment I’ve been graced with the joy of a perfect avocado.

I know that at least one thing is right in the world, and at least for the moment, it is going to be all right.