Can I have only one favorite moment from my summer trip with my daughter and granddaughter? While I don’t want to choose, one experience in particular stands out. Perhaps it is because it was near the end of the trip, serving as an exclamation mark. Perhaps it was a snippet of the context of joy.

My granddaughter was exhausted. The trip was a whirlwind, and we had spent hours exploring a large aquarium. Belugas, dolphins, sting rays, turtles, eels, otters and more. She had a blast but was finally done, ready to leave, get a snack, collapse. It was a lot of walking and a lot of excitement. We walked outside, and I saw a line of pedicabs waiting for customers. We parked about a quarter mile away—not too far, but it seemed to be an excessive walk for a tired little. I looked down the line and saw the perfect choice. When I asked the driver if he could take us to the parking lot, he upsold me on a quick ride along the lake front. Why not add one more adventure to the weekend?

My granddaughter had no idea what a pedicab was or why we were getting into it, but as soon as we started moving, her eyes lit up. As we maneuvered away from the crowd and picked up speed, the wind blew her hair. Her face transformed from exhaustion to pure joy. Seeing her bright eyes and huge smile was worth every penny of that ride.

She reminded me of the context of joy. We sometimes seek the highlights of life. We want to remember the best feelings and experiences. But the joy resides in a context that isn’t always pleasant. The juxtaposition broadens and deepens the purpose and appreciation of our experiences. We can highlight what we want. We can crop, filter, and share an image, but the context still exists. We think the yuck diminishes the purity of the amazing. It doesn’t. One prepares for the other. One is more difficult to deal with. We’d rather close our eyes and pretend we can transport ourselves to a different place. But when we persevere through and appreciate the hope we have in the next—the next opportunity, the next smile, the next relationship, the next moment—our hope and our joy continues to expand and connect our experiences with purpose.

Take a ride with your exhaustion and joy today. Appreciate the journey.