S1. Ep 18 - The real "JOY" of the Season

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Joy is a term we hear often, and will even more, as we get farther into the holiday season. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But this simple word is actually a lot more complicated than we may think. Brene Brown is famously quoted as saying to Oprah “The most terrifying difficult emotion we experience as humans is Joy.” </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Wait a second - Joy is our most terrifying, difficult emotion?  Leave it to humans to find terror and overcomplicate - Joy.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">So why is this beautiful word -  filled with so much hope and heart- considered terrifying?</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Because as soon as we have it, we are afraid we are going to lose it. Brene also says “When we lose our tolerance for vulnerability, joy becomes foreboding.” So many people in moments of Joy, dress rehearse tragedy so they can beat vulnerability to the punch. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">So what on earth REALLY is JOY?</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Why is it so darn scary? Why does it elude people? Where does it come from? </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I was recently on an airplane flying to Toronto, Canada and I finally watched Roadrunner the story about Anthony Bourdain and his death by suicide. Near the end of listening to people that were his actual family and friends talk about their loss, and how they had watched Anthony fall into something dark that eventually took him away, I was crying my eyes out. </span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Right there on the airplane, in empathy for all of them and his lost soul. The level of pain he fell into, the utter lack of meaning, the lack of Joy - in a life that brought so much joy to so many. But I don’t know if Anthony knew how much he meant to people. Or if he just felt pressure to perform and wear his masks. </span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Anthony Bourdain was