Epilogue: I learned thanks to new reader Nic that Harry Baker didn’t in fact write Joy Chose You. He has written many of his own pieces, but the one that knocked my socks off was instead penned by Donna Ashworth.

Today’s beautiful thing is short but excessively sweet. This is a poem that found me on Instagram, and it’s been haunting me for days (in a very good way). Hope it speaks to you as it did to me.

“Joy does not arrive with a fanfare
On a red carpet strewn with the flowers of a perfect life.
Joy sneaks in as you pour a cup of coffee,
Watching the sun hit your favorite tree just right,
And you usher joy away because you are not ready for it.
Your house is not as it must be for such a distinguished guest.
But joy cares nothing for your messy home
Or your bank balance
Or your waistline, you see.
Joy is supposed to slither through the cracks of your imperfect life.
That’s how joy works.
You cannot invite her.
You can only be ready when she appears
And hug her with meaning.
Because in this very moment,
Joy chose you.

– Donna Ashworth, “Joy Chose You”

Former mathematician Harry Baker has a lovely outlook on life, and his poetry is full of humor and a-ha moments. What a sweet, gentle, perceptive man! He was the youngest ever Poetry World Slam Champion at the age of 17, and he’s been performing his poetry ever since.

You can follow Harry Baker on his website and on YouTube and Instagram.

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