Simple Joys

It is evident that what is most desired in the world today is a positive vibe; a place to go to feel safe, secure, loved, and honored. The real world is filled with peril, natural disaster, hurtful people and stress. What Simple Joys does weekly is reach beyond the misery, the difficulties, and the jarring reality, and reminds everyone to look around for the pure goodness that still exists. Simple Joys can manifest themselves seemingly out of thin air as long as people open themselves up to the possibility of their existence. Once Simple Joys are recognized, they become noticeable all of the time. Life becomes richer, calmer, more rewarding, and happier. I invite you in to Simple Joys at Chief 187 Chatter. Now, without further ado, is today’s Simple Joys.

Singing. Since the beginning of our relationship nearly twenty-five years ago, my husband and I have been singing together. We are not professionals and, although he is a talented amateur musician, we aren’t particularly great singers. But we love to sing. We enjoy singing together. We belt out tunes to our favorite songs. We serenade our children with James Taylor tunes. We regale the family with Christmas songs the entire season. And, in the car, we sing our hearts out whether it is from a Broadway musical or a classic rock song. From Billy Joel to Queen, the score of Rent to Les Miserables, or Silent Night to The Twelve Pains of Christmas, we sing anywhere any time. Our children have been sung to throughout their lives and are used to our sudden outbursts of song. Still, they occasionally ask for us to “Be QUIET” because I believe they are getting to that age where we are embarrassing. That won’t stop us, because singing unabashedly with my husband is one of my fondest and long-lasting Simple Joys.

Harry Potter. I came late to this party. I’ve written before that my association with the boy wizard only occurred last summer after my oldest child received the Wii Lego Harry Potter Years 1-4 game for his August birthday. From that point on we watched every movie, started reading the books, and even listened to them on audio books with the incomparable Jim Dale as the narrator. In November I was treated to seeing the seventh movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I, with my son. It was fantastic! We couldn’t wait for the second half of the movie and continued to watch/read/listen to all things Harry Potter. We’ve built Lego sets with Harry Potter themes, discussed the themes and plots ad nauseum, and started a countdown to the premiere. The time finally came and we were once again in a darkened theater awaiting the film. Without releasing any spoilers, I was thrilled with the movie! Dark, foreboding, and heavy, it was still a great film about good versus evil. It documented the boy’s journey from muggle to top wizard. Characters were revealed for their true motivations and loyalties, and the good prevails in a showdown that is riveting, exciting, and breath taking! My favorite parts of the movie were when the audience I was watching with simultaneously broke out into thunderous applause in certain parts of the movie! The shared community as theatergoers totally invested in the film was the part that made seeing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II in the movie theater a huge Simple Joy this week!

Social Networking. My career has all come about thanks to the Internet. It has grown exponentially because of social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook. Each day I post my articles, blogs, columns, and radio show times for my followers and friends to check out. I am bombarded with the most sweet, supportive, and kind comments! Many say the Internet is a terrible place and social networking is truly anti-social and opens you up to vulnerabilities. I know that in reality you must be careful, but I also know that in my experience it is a wonderful place that brightens my day each day. From simple greetings to retweeted posts, a boon of support to a prompt to “keep writing because I love reading your stuff”, I am honored, flattered, and humbled by the power of social networking, and the incredibly loving people who I’ve never met who support me and lift me to the stars. I believe, like anything in life, you get back what you put out there. I genuinely love those I’ve connected on social networking and support their causes, careers, and friendships, too! Being a part of the world of social networking is a Simple Joy that gives back to me daily!

Little Hands. My children give me inexplicable pleasure in life. They also frustrate, annoy, and torture me. But the good they bring far outweighs the bad and for that I am truly grateful. Recently, with summer in full swing and our outdoor activities constant, the need for applying suntan lotion (sun block) is ever-present. I slather my children daily in a futile exercise of saving their skin from the ravishes of the sun. They invariably get suntanned/burned because the reapply doesn’t ever seem to happen. Tired of my own skin burning I requested my children help apply the lotion on my back. My middle son, the four-year-old, loved this idea and prides himself in helping Mommy. His little hands hold gobs of white lotion as he places it in the middle of my back over and over and over again. His scope of how much and where to apply very limited, I ignore the fact that I’m not fully protected and instead thoroughly enjoy the feel of his child hands touching me ever so gently. He is my protector, my helper, and a true Angel of Mercy. All too soon he will be unwilling to touch his mom; too rushed, uninterested or embarrassed to comply with my request. But right now he willingly, lovingly, and graciously volunteers to “goop Mom” and that is a Simple Joy I will cherish forever.

Simple Joys are not unique to me. They exist for everyone who opens themselves up to their existence. I write mine because they help me focus on the good in my life. I find perspective, count my blessings, and selfishly feel great sharing them. I always welcome your Simple Joys in comments and look forward to reading them! But, whether you write them for all to see, stow them in a private journal, or only make a mental list, try to do so daily and you will find that Simple Joys are lurking everywhere and increase the positive in your life!

I invite you to join me tomorrow when I wax poetic on an entirely new topic. Wishing you all Simple Joys!