134 I Can Read You Like a Book E
When we sign a contract for a new publishing project, Maryann
raises her hands past the shoulder and has a gleeful look on her
face, with lots of energy bubbling to the highest parts of her body. I,
on the other hand, smile. It is a very large smile and my body
becomes more animated, but I don’t “do” gleeful. What is the dif-
ference, aside from the impact of ovaries and testes? Living with
the military since the age of 14, and raised by Southern parents. Do
we start to see the impact of layers of culture, subculture, and sex
on a simple expression of joy? How does a child’s energy level
differ before he understands men generally do not flit about?
Similar to a person demonstrating anger, a person demonstrating
joy stays focused on the cause. Direction of energy is unilateral.
The only additional factor is whether the joy relates to something
present or a past occurrence that has just come to the person’s
attention. Watch a person who has just learned of great news from
a letter. Does she hold the letter as a relic in this ritual of celebra-
tion, or discard it and dance around? She holds on to it, most likely.
When a person learns joy-causing news over the phone, all energy
goes into the conversation. Even the eyes may find their way
toward the phone. Every ounce of the person’s being is concentrated
on what she perceives as the source.
Again, similar to anger, the initial external focus can shift to the
inside. In joy, it happens as the person relishes the impact of the
profound event on his life: The new book contract causes a celebra-
tion, but the long-term effect of having a greater sense of purpose
moves the joy inward. The focus may go strictly internal as the
person tries to sustain the feeling of euphoria by thinking of all the
spillover effects of the good news.
