You see, here's the thing about joy, it’s a slippery little devil. You think you’ve found it, like you’re just about to grasp it, and then poof, it vanishes. It’s a cosmic joke, really. You go looking for joy — let’s say, in a simple stroll through Eureka Springs — and suddenly you’re bombarded by surprises and playful moments. It’s overwhelming. Almost exhausting. I mean, how much happiness is one person supposed to handle? Can we get some sort of joy threshold? How about little buffer zone so we don’t accidentally overdose on merriment?

Take fireflies, for example. On the surface, they’re delightful, right? Little glowing beacons of joy, floating around like it’s no big deal, just lighting up the night with their magical luminescence. But then you think about how their little light shows are actually elaborate mating rituals. The male fireflies are literally flashing to attract a partner, and suddenly you’re sucked into the existential realization that even fireflies have better dating lives than you. It’s tragic. And beautiful. And, for some ... stressful?
I recently read the post from a man online that said this . . ."My young daughters are mesmerized by fireflies. They associate fireflies with magic and fairies. In the summer evenings as fireflies begin to appear, my daughters will dress up in delightful outfits that they have selected from an online store that sells princess dresses for kids. With tiaras, multi colored tutus, wands, capes, shoes, and those all important princess dresses, this site has captivated my daughters’ attention and inspired their imagination. As my daughters dance among the fireflies, twirling about in princess dresses, happy and delighted with the magic that fireflies create with their flickering light, I continue to ponder the mysteries that are fireflies."
Since moving to Eureka Springs, I feel like I've arrived. I found the joy factory. I’m convinced that people in Eureka Springs — this town of endless surprises and whimsy — are better at joy than most and so surrounding yourself in a community so joyful, helps you win at joy. It's a skill that many Eurekans have mastered, and this is why we are often referred to as "The Beautiful People of Eureka!"

Play
Now, everyone has an inner child. That being said, think of Eureka Springs as an epic playground for children and inner children. This town practically forces you to play. You want to stroll around, solemnly contemplating life’s failures? Too bad. Eureka Springs won’t let you. For instance, I went to the Annual White Street Studio Walk this year, which, if you’re wondering, is not a walk but more like a joyful ambush disguised as an art show. There were artists everywhere — painters, sculptors, weavers.

And here’s the kicker — these artists? They’re not just talented, they play for a living. There’s Eleanor Lux, weaving her magic; Zeek Taylor, practically dancing with his watercolors; and Mary Springer, who’s both a painter and a sculptor because, you know, why stop at one form of artistic brilliance when you can master two?
But honestly, it's more than that. It’s the atmosphere, this whimsical street fair vibe that makes even the most joy-resistant curmudgeon crack a smile.

Surprise
Now let’s talk about surprises. In Eureka Springs, surprises lurk everywhere. You turn a corner, and boom, there’s a man dressed as a historical figure reenacting the 1800s. Check out Voices from Eureka's Silent City.
This one-hour lantern-guided walking tour is a fundraiser for the Eureka Springs Historial Museum. Tickets may be purchased at the Eureka Springs Historical Museum located at 95 S. Main Street, local Cornerstone Bank locations, or via the website https://ESHmuseum.org/tickets. Tickets may also be purchased at the parking lot on the performance dates. Note: There are no reserved tickets and the likihood of seeing a man dressed as a historical figure reenacting the 1800s goes without saying.
Next, we have breathtaking Thorncrown Chapel.

It’s stunning, no question about it. But the surprise? It’s almost too much. You hike through the woods, expecting nothing more than trees and the occasional squirrel, and suddenly you’re confronted with this architectural masterpiece. My brain’s like, “Wait, did I take a wrong turn? Am I in Narnia?” It’s an awe-inspiring moment, but also one that triggers a mild existential crisis. Why is it there? Who put it there? What does it mean?
This town, man. It’s like a constant rollercoaster of surprises. And I’m not a rollercoaster person. The highs are too high, the lows are too low, and somewhere in the middle, I just want to sit quietly with a cup of tea and a good book, not wondering if the next turn will send me into a loop-de-loop of joy.

So, what’s the takeaway here? That joy is fleeting? That it’s out to get you? No, no — what I’m trying to say is, joy is everywhere, especially in a place like Eureka Springs. It’s in the art, the play, the surprises around every corner. And while I may not be the world’s greatest expert on joy, I’ve learned this much: you can’t force joy. You can’t schedule it or plan it. It just happens.
So, when you find yourself in Eureka Springs, or anywhere for that matter, maybe take a moment. Breathe in the surprises. Let yourself play, even if it feels awkward. And look for joy in the little things, like fireflies or painted koi fish on manhole covers (we have that, too, here in Eureka, by the way.)
And now, I’ll leave you to it. Go forth and find more joy.❤️
More Joy is a blog-series. In these three chapters, we seek to discover the joy already all around us. Joy-spotting is real, it's a thing and there is much joy to spot and experience here in Eureka Springs. In this series. we will take you on a joyful journey around Eureka Springs, Arkansas.
Light production in fireflies is due to a type of chemical reaction called bio-luminescence. This process occurs in specialized light-emitting organs usually on a firefly's lower abdomen. This forms a beautiful language with sight (as opposed to sound, taste, touch and scent, which are used by most animals and insects.)
The main purpose of a firefly’s light show is to attract a mate. The males fly around while turning their lights on and off, hoping to get the attention of a flightless female waiting in low vegetation. They try to flash very quickly, because this is what attracts females.
I recently read the post from a man online that said this . . ."My young daughters are mesmerized by fireflies. They associate fireflies with magic and fairies. In the summer evenings as fireflies begin to appear, my daughters will dress up in delightful outfits that they have selected from an online store that sells princess dresses for kids. With tiaras, multi colored tutus, wands, capes, shoes, and those all important princess dresses, this site has captivated my daughters’ attention and inspired their imagination. As my daughters dance among the fireflies, twirling about in princess dresses, happy and delighted with the magic that fireflies create with their flickering light, I continue to ponder the mysteries that are fireflies."
In our neighborhood here on East Mountain, just up Douglas hill off Main Street, fireflies bask in the cool, damp, dim conditions of the holler below Little Lake Eureka. They usually begin to appear toward the end of Spring (after the rains) as we segue into Summer.
I long await these beauties each year because after a joyful day, the night lights up with them and carries even more joy into the wee hours of the evening.
An emerging body of research shows that there is a clear link between our surroundings and our mental health. Yet nearly all the advice on how to find happiness ignores this fact.
Look around Eureka Springs, specifically look through the lens of joy-spotting and it will hit you. This place illuminates joy because it favorably ignites the relationship between our environment and our emotions through these joyful aesthetics in our life.
This concludes Chapter 3 in this series, Joy-Spotting, but we continue to shed light on this concept to help everyone better understand that joy is all around if you simply take a moment to spot it.❤️
Joy-Spotting is a blog-series of three chapters where we seek to discover joy already all around us. Joyspotting is real, it's a thing and there is much joy to spot and experience here in Eureka Springs. In this series. we will take you on a joyful journey around Eureka Springs, Arkansas.
Take a moment to check out the different chapters in this blog-series on www.iloveureka.com
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