Just the thought of going home from school to the awful combo of daunting stacks of homework and an extensive sports practice was enough to make me realize that I needed something in my life to bring me peace before facing those hours of AP U.S. History notes.
In other words, I needed to find something that would bring me joy — anything that would keep me sane.
But what? I thought to myself. There were so many things I could do: painting, cooking, doomscrolling and in fact, I could run out of paper just trying to list them all. How could I possibly choose the right one? The question wouldn’t escape my mind, but I couldn’t find an answer, so, I pressed the (metaphorical) “phone a friend” button in my head and decided to ask a few friends what they thought.
First, I went to Nila Venkataratnam, a senior who always seemed to be teeming with endless joy and life. Surely, she must have a joyous after-school activity to recommend.
She suggested “Brooklyn 99,” a popular TV show: She loves nothing more than kicking her feet up on her gray leather couch after a long day at school and watching Jake Peralta reference Taylor Swift. After her routine of watching one episode of the show, she embarks on the evening’s homework.
“It uses minimal brain power,” she told me. That method of sparking joy certainly sounded tempting.
However, I continued on my trek for more inspiration. I went to junior Evelyn Williams next — the nicest person out there — and also a person who I knew would tell me the truth about the secret to her peaceful aura.
Her secret is her self-proclaimed sweet tooth. She kicks back with some Ben and Jerry’s dark chocolate ice cream and watches her favorite show, which is currently “The Summer I Turned Pretty.”
“Team Conrad, of course,” was what she said before I had the chance to ask her.
As a “The Summer I Turned Pretty” savant myself, I’d already been watching episodes religiously, but with the show’s finale already released, I certainly couldn’t keep that as a daily routine. As for the sweet treats … I would definitely keep that in mind.
My last stop on my quest to find joy was junior Ben Guo, whom I spoke with for no specific reason (sorry, Ben). But, he came in clutch with the most heartwarming answer: He said he finds joy by spending time with his 68-year-old grandmother, who seems to be enjoying life in the U.S. after moving from China.
“She’s usually dancing to some Chinese TikTok in the backyard, making food or gardening,” he said. “And that makes me really happy.”
His favorite dish his grandmother makes, Ben said, was her world-class ramen.
With all these potential sources of potential joy, I couldn’t help but fixate on another: food. I have never been a chef, but I decided I was going to create some joy — and spread it — by making cookies.
I made s’mores cookies (and added way too much baking soda) and delivered my creations to some friends, including Evelyn, who was my part of my inspiration behind the whole idea.
At the end of my baking adventure, I still had that stack of homework waiting, but I felt just that little bit more fulfilled and, well, joyous.
In the words of basketball legend Jimmy Butler upon being traded to the Warriors last season, “I got my joy back.”
