What are some of the things that bring Smith pleasure, and why are these important to her?

“Joy”: Smith begins her essay by explaining that, unlike many people, she’s “not at all sure” she wants more joyful experiences in her life (1). Why is this? Smith claims that she experiences “at least a little pleasure every day” (1). What are some of the things that bring Smith pleasure, and why are these important to her? In discussing her child, Smith describes her as “a joy, which means in fact she gives us not much pleasure at all, but rather that strange admixture of terror, pain, and delight” (2). What does she mean by this? How can terror and pain be a part of joy? What are some of the experiences that Smith says have brought her joy (not pleasure, but joy)? What are some of your own? Smith recounts in great detail an evening she spent at a club in 1999, and argues that the experience “mimicked joy’s conditions pretty well” (4). How so? What, for Smith, are joy’s conditions? In a passage about falling in love, Smith characterizes joy as “the only thing that makes [life] worthwhile,” but also contends that “it’s no good thinking about or discussing it” (5). Why is it no good to think about or discuss joy, according to Smith? Toward the end of her essay, Smith quotes the writer Julian Barnes, who once said of mourning, “It hurts just as much as it is worth” (5). How does this quote about mourning relate to Smith’s overall argument about joy?