Shine Happy Journey

A bright invitation to look beyond the smile

What looks loud is not always alive

And not every smile begins with joy

Sometimes happiness arrives dressed in glitter, posed for the light, hoping to pass for something real.

But something in you notices

The stillness in absolute joy

The quiet that doesn’t need convincing

Shiny but not happy

When R.E.M. released “Shiny Happy People,” many heard the celebration

But the song was satire

A bright tone covering something hollow

It was never about joy

It was about the idea of joy sold to us

Packaged

Pushed

Performed

Where are you smiling for the camera

Where do you laugh just because it’s expected

The echo beneath the smile

Shine Happy Journey begins in color

Bold hues

Clear expression

It feels light

But the questions go deeper

This is not a prompt for pretending

It is a mirror

Not a game for show

But a way of listening

To joy when no one is watching

Shining inward

Absolute joy doesn’t sparkle on cue

It doesn’t demand choreography

Or captions

Sometimes it hums

Sometimes, it holds your hand

Even with tears near

This is the joy you return to

Not for performance

But for presence

What color is your joy

What does it feel like when no one sees

Where is the softness in your brightness

What color of joy have you hidden in plain sight

“Shiny, happy people holding hands.”

R.E.M.

Practice softly

Choose a card

Let the image echo

Then turn inward

Write in whatever color joy takes today

Muted or bold

Clear or messy

But yours

There is no need to pretend

Only to meet what’s already true

Download: Shine Happy Journey- Journal & Card Game