Lit Chat

Inspiration for being human.

Joy, Crossing Chasms, Surviving When You're Pulled Away from Shore

Thursday June 18, 2026

Happy Thursday humans! Here is this week's literary inspiration for being human...

Let's consider joy...

For a while, I used to do an invisible eye roll any time someone mentioned the words "joy" or "happiness." Those words didn't seem to apply to me, and discussions of "positive" emotions seemed presumptuous and naïve. Having faced multiple traumatic and life-changing events, I had developed a predisposition toward "negative" emotions that left me perpetually sad, anxious... and alone. This became my new normal, and it felt impossible to experience joy, let alone talk about it.

"Against Melancholy" by Nathan McClain is a poem that presents three different types of joy using metaphors such as the dramatic "triumph" one witnesses in a movie, the "cheers" and "laughter" from a party, and most poignantly, chasing a "child's / red bouncing ball" into the street to catch it. The final metaphor is carefully dissected, and by the end of the poem we realize this is the type of joy we can all appreciate, as it leaves us feeling fulfilled in a way that movies and parties may not.

In Woman Outside the City, the characters are all trying to make the most of life, as shared in the preface: "I don't want to just survive—I want to thrive." For many of us, it can help to dissect both our grief and our joy. 

What does joy look like to you? Can you describe a moment—with concrete sensory details—in which you felt an unexpected and profound joy?

Let's discuss crossing chasms...

"Some people never traverse at all—
some know the edge is there, but never approach

never behold the view, never appreciate what exists beyond—spend
entire lives thinking

their side is all the universe has to offer." 

—"Grand Canyon" in Woman Outside the City

What chasm would you like to cross? How will you approach the edge of your current situation and look beyond where you are now? What possibilities do you see? How will you prepare yourself for the journey?

Let's listen to surviving when you're pulled away from shore...

"Riptide" by Vance Joy is one of those melodic and catchy songs you can't help but love. It's about the beauty of a woman who embraces imperfection and difficult situations. I searched up the word "riptide" to understand why Joy gave the song this title, and what I found is helpful not just for surviving a literal "rip tide" but also for surviving the metaphorical rip tides we encounter at different points in our lives. 

Rip currents can be deadly, but according to the U.S. National Weather Service, the most important thing to understand is that rip currents don't pull you underwater; they just pull you away from the shore. This distinction has important implications: if you see someone caught in a rip current, the NWS suggests calling a lifeguard or 9-1-1 for help, and rather than forming a human chain, which can put additional people at risk of drowning, "throw the person in trouble something that floats." If you yourself are caught in a rip current, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration explains don't panic: panicking can lead to exhaustion. 

Applying the rip current survival metaphor to life, here's what I come up with: sometimes the best thing you can do for someone else is to give them a lifeline, something they can hold on to, while you call for expert help instead of trying to "save" them yourself... And if you are the one going through a difficult situation, try not to panic—instead, call for expert help, and try to use whatever someone gives you in the meantime. 

What kinds of lifelines can you offer to others? What kinds of experts can you reach out to for help with a difficult situation? How will you remember to stay calm when you're pulled away from what you know?