Simple Joys

Welcome to Simple Joys on Chief 187™Chatter.

Recently I had the opportunity to browse my entire catalogue of posts on Chief 187™Chatter and see the number of pageviews each piece has garnered. It was enlightening.

When I started in September 2010 I was lucky to get double digit readership on any given piece. Each pageview was hard-earned and much appreciated.

Not much has changed today except now more eyes typically read my work in a given day/week. But, I still feel every bit as grateful for 200 pageviews as I did for 8.

Until very recently, the record holder for number of pageviews in a single post was held by a summer time Simple Joys.

For about five weeks during the summer of 2011 Simple Joys hit a nerve with a strong readership. Once that time period ended, the hits dropped off and the numbers went down. Still, I was always so proud that Simple Joys performed so well since it is truly a very personal post each week.It held the top 7 all-time posts at my site until this year.

Now that the NASCAR crowd is finding and reading my Chief 187™Chatter more regularly, the Tantalizing Thursday posts tend to get the most hits – who would have guessed?

But Simple Joys is a consistent hit with my readership and that pleases me immensely.

I will continue to write Simple Joys because it fulfills three major purposes.


1. Simple Joys helps me keep each week in perspective and forces me to concentrate on all of the positives in my life.
2. It is a legacy for my children.
3. My husband tells me it’s one of the major forces of getting him through the week each week.


The fact that so many of you embrace it, seek it out, and celebrate it is truly gratifying and so very humbling.

Now, without further ado, is this week’s Simple Joys.

Help. Nighttime is hectic in my household right now. One night last week I put my children to bed with just enough time to spare to run down to my basement set up where I do my iRadio shows. I was on air only a few moments when I heard my daughter crying at the top of the stairs. I took a break from the show, ran up to see what was going on, and was relieved to find that my oldest son was trying to comfort his baby sister. My husband was en route from his college campus where he is finishing his Master’s. My son volunteered to stay up with his sister until their father returned to tuck them all into bed… again! Having my son take control of the situation allowing me to get back to my time-sensitive work was a Simple Joy I had not ever counted on but am so thankful existed.

Forgiveness. A friend of mine and I had been miscommunicating… well, not communicating for the last few months. We work together for our children, have been friends for years, but just began getting away from our weekly talks to stay “on the same page”. Finally a clearing of the air occurred that wasn’t overly pleasant but was necessary nonetheless. The first time we saw each other since resulted in instant mutual forgiveness and the acknowledgement that, no matter what, we would always love each other as friends. Forgiveness is powerful and freeing and was the most gratifying Simple Joy this week.

Hair. I’m a “hair person”. I have always enjoyed playing with my Barbie Doll’s hair, my friends’ hair, and my own! I love to have my head stroked and enjoy looking at pictures of hair styles as well as getting my hair styled.

The other night my daughter was sitting on my lap which, in and of itself is rare as she is two and in constant motion unless she is sleeping. My hand was drawn to her perfect little head. As pictures of my daughter on this site have belied, my daughter has not had much hair in her lifetime. But now it is starting to come in thin, wispy, golden, and silky soft with ringlets! I couldn’t keep my fingers out of her touchable hair. I petted her head and soaked up the feel, sensation, smell, and delight of my little girl’s hair. Playing with my daughter’s hair fulfilled a lifetime of waiting for such a Simple Joy.

Tangled. Have you seen this Disney/Pixar Animation film about Rapunzel? It’s hilarious, stunningly well done like a Broadway musical, and holds one’s attention throughout the entire movie. The dialogue is quick, smart, and all out funny. My oldest has seen the movie so much because it happens to be my daughter’s favorite. He loves it, too. To make me laugh he repeats entire scenes from the movie with correct intonations and voices until I am in stitches! Sharing a love of a movie and having my son entertaining me in such a way is a Simple Joy I never tire.

My husband. Yeah, that guy again. What can I say? Each week the times we do get to spend together enrich me, enliven me, and impassion me. He is my very best friend who supports me, listens to me, cheers with me, and keeps me driven to succeed. I look forward to times when we spend together as a family. I cherish every moment we spend together as a couple. And I get in grumpy moods when life makes it nearly impossible to spend quality time together. Every second of every day that I spend with my husband is a Simple Joy that only grows more powerful and dear in the twenty-five years we’ve been a couple.

As my life gets more congested, busy, intense, and crowded, I am ever so thankful for Simple Joys.

Simple Joys has been the most helpful way to stay motivated, positive, and open to all life has to throw at me, good and bad, because I know how to focus on the good!

Thank you for spending a portion of your week with me.

I wish you a lifetime of Simple Joys!

Please join me tomorrow as I wax poetic on yet another topic on Chief 187™Chatter.