North Bay Voice: Finding happiness in a chaotic world

“You showed us what excellence, respect and friendship look like in a world that sometimes forgets these values.”

— Kristy Coventry, president of the International Olympic Committee, speaking to athletes at the closing ceremonies of the 2026 Winter Olympics. 

At a time of so much turmoil, people do what they can to bring joy into their lives.

They cheer when the real comeback kid, Bay Area figure skater Alysa Liu, skates into history with confidence and verve. They spend time in the outdoors, marveling at the birds and the trees and the clouds that signal changes in the weather. They find inspiration in a novel, a collection of poems or a piece of music. They write down things for which they are grateful — be they the love of another person, family and friends, a good job and good health, the opportunity to take a walk and talk with people you know (and people you don’t know).

In recent days, we’ve shared meals with friends. It’s a small matter, I suppose, but what a pleasure to share stories and kinship. We’re all still here, and for that we are grateful.

To add joy to their lives, some friends even brought puppies into their homes. Who, after all, can resist the delights of a puppy? (But watch out for the baby teeth.)

And so we find joy in the simple pleasures of life. We’re hungry for it.

I know. We live in a world defined by chaos, violence and the disparity between the billionaires and everyone else. Too many people think it’s OK to make up their own rules and the hell with old-fashioned standards of behavior.

We’re living at a time in which the world seems to be coming unstuck. As Americans, we’re suddenly aware that our republic is more fragile than we thought.

People tell me they’re desperate to escape the daily drumbeat of dispiriting news.

This is why we would be foolish not to take note of our blessings — if for no other reason than that joy becomes the best antidote to the toxicity of politics and economic disparity.

For reasons we can all understand, the world is awash in self-help advice. Whether it works for you is something you’ll need to decide.

But some recommendations seem obvious: Be mindful of the things for which you are grateful. Spend time with friends. Find ways to help other people. Take care of yourself (people live longer with exercise and a healthy diet). Maintain healthy sleep patterns. As best you can, cut down on your screen time (in the recent rush to all things analog, we have friends who have installed a jukebox in their living room).

This is not rocket science. You know as well as I that doing the right things make us healthier and happier. We live on the North Coast of California, for gosh sakes, a place with an abundance of natural beauty and human compassion.

A century ago, our lives would have been shorter and more brutish. The truth is, we have it better than almost anyone in the history of the world. At times, the glass still seems half empty for all the moments we can identify. But there are good tidings to be revealed if we will only take the time.

Google “finding joy in a chaotic world” and you’ll find yourself neck-deep in advice.

“In today’s world, where chaos seems to be the order of the day, finding pockets of happiness can feel like an uphill battle,” says Psychology Today. “Finding your own happiness bubble is not about escaping reality, but about learning how to have resilience and still experience joy within a world where we often have little control.”

“While it’s easy to get caught up in the thick of things,” says a blog post from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, “I offer no concrete solution but a simple way to slightly shift perspective: noticing the little things.”

Little things — you get the idea. It’s OK to take a few minutes to reflect on what’s good in our lives. There will be time enough for that other stuff. As Kristy Coventry said at the close of the Winter Olympics, “Courage and kindness still matter.”

Pete Golis is a columnist for the Press Democrat. Email him at golispd@gmail.com.  ©2025 The Press Democrat.