Hissy Fit - May 2026 - Gee: Where’s the Glee?

May 2026 Issue
by Elizabeth Skenes Millen

 
We are in the middle of spring, which, by all accounts, means we should have shaken off the winter blues by now and begun feeling the sense of lightness that comes with the beautiful days of perfect weather, bright sunshine, and bursting blooms.

Somehow, I’m not feeling it, yet. Are you?

Life just feels heavier, angrier, more burdensome. It may just be me because I stay fairly entrenched in work, projects, and chores, but I take time to smell the roses, hang out with friends, read books and be courted by the love of my life. I should feel on cloud-nine, but I often don’t. Is it me (and I ask this a lot) or are we all wandering around in a haze of world-weariness? And if we are, what’s going to lift the fog?

For the most part, I don't think it’s just me. I see sadness, anger and frustration in people, even strangers. Those with active road rage, those with frowns on their faces and furrowed brows—the overall lack of glee. Glee—I love this word! It’s defined as exultant, high-spirited joy; merriment. When is the last time you felt glee? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could all be more gleeful—even just five or ten percent more?

When I think of societal gleeful moments, I think back to 1988, when I was just out of college and went to visit my friend, Jennifer Martin, who had moved to Boston. I thought the city was a cool place, but what captured it for me is what happened when we went to the real-life Cheers tavern. I know it’s a tourist trap, but it was the late ‘80s, and Cheers was still in its heyday. Anyway, it was December, cold and rainy, and Jennifer and I were sitting at the bar having a beer. We could see the famous stairway coming down to the entrance from where we sat. We noticed a hoard of men (really their legs were all we could see) coming down, and as soon as the door opened, we could also hear them. They were loudly singing a Christmas Carol, sloshing their beers in the air, hanging on each other. It was like it was straight out of the sitcom. Then, they went into We Wish You a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Everyone in the bar joined in; it was a forever moment. Then, they left and sauntered down the city street continuing to spread glee.

Perhaps the crux of the today’s lack of joy is we are missing key elements that used to be so prevalent and lively: joviality, laughter, camaraderie, humor, and the desire to spread joy. There is an abundance of joy to spread, we just have it packed away in the attic or something. There was a fun quote that showed up on everything back before 2020 (the year that was a true slice of Hilly’s pie) that said: Throw joy around like it’s confetti!

Well, why not? What do we have to lose?

When I was growing up, if someone was mad (and in my household, someone was always mad), my father would say, “You have a lifetime to get glad.” It’s a catchy saying, but what I want to point out, is some people actually spend their entire life staying mad and never getting glad. You can’t live with pent up anger and keep it from spilling out in some form or fashion. Anger is powerful, destructive, and it steals every ounce of glee.

So, what can we do to get glad, become more joyful, and glaze our life with the sweetness of glee like a “Hot Now” Krispy Kreme?

Here’s some inspiration to get going, start smiling,
and work your way to glazed glee-dom!

1) Do what you like to do!
Maybe everyone is angry, or at least grumpy, because we do too much of what we don’t want to do. The fix: Spend time doing things you enjoy, with people you enjoy. When we live out of alignment with who we really are (which dictates what we enjoy doing), we feel fussy, bothered, and uncomfortable. What do babies do when they feel this way? They cry until someone makes them comfortable. As adults, we don’t cry, we just keep tangled in the discomfort. Of course, it’s not possible to quit all of life that’s uncomfortable, but it can be more joyful if we spend at least one hour each day doing something gleeful—that’s only 5% of the day.

2) Let spring put positivity in your psyche.
There is some kind of energy potion to spring days that rejuvenates our bodies and souls. It’s not just that it’s warmer, it’s that it’s perfect—the temps, the soft breezes, the gentle warmth of the sun, the birds’ joyful symphonies. Basically, all of nature comes alive to beckon us to rejoice, be glad, and embrace life with new verve. Let the winter hold your negative blahs until next year. Don’t take a lifetime to get glad.

3) Choose light over heavy.
Everything about winter is heavy—the clothes, the food, the darkness, the mental strain, the lack of color. But spring brings a wispiness to us. Softer clothes, fresher foods, lighter days, color-filled blooms, lush greenery—everything just lightens up; You can physically feel it. Tap into the nature within you. I promise it wants to connect with the nature outside of you—that’s why it’s called human nature.

Allow the resurgence of spring to rejuvenate your body, mind, and soul, It is not ironic that Mr. Snow Miser was the one who gave us step-by-step instructions on what to do with those left over winter blahs: “Put one foot in front of the other,” and we can also put one positive thought in front of the other, and one smile in front of another. Mr. Snow Miser understood the magic of spring, the magic of glee, and he pushed himself to loosen up and put his miserly ways aside. Let’s follow his example.

As Oxford Philosopher Bernard Williams once said, “The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day he created spring!” Spring brings us great hope! We can do it!