Some mornings, I wake up already behind. The alarm didn’t go off, the kids need breakfast, the laundry is still in the washer, and my to-do list seems to multiply overnight. I used to think joy was something that showed up only after life slowed down—after I got caught up, or after the hard seasons passed. But I’ve learned that’s not how joy works at all. True joy, I’ve realized, isn’t something we wait for—it’s something we practice. It grows from small, intentional habits that slowly shift the way we see our days. And it doesn’t require perfection, only presence.…