Simple Joys

Welcome to Simple Joys on Chief 187™Chatter.

If you are new to this post, I welcome you. Simple Joys are the little times in our day that make life sweet. They are unexpected surprises, planned fun, peaceful moments, poignant ones, and so many other tidbits that add up to a wonderful life.

Life is harrowing and difficult to navigate, but Simple Joys smooth the road, enhance the scenery, and lift the spirits.

Although sometimes nearly impossible to fathom, Simple Joys are there for the taking in everybody’s life. It takes patience and focus at first to locate them in one’s life, but Simple Joys can and do exist for all.

Once you welcome Simple Joys into your life they become easier to find and identify. And, once Simple Joys become part of your routine, you find infinite ways to find and create them on your own!

Each week I write down my favorite Simple Joys. I welcome you to join me.

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

Garbage Day. On Garbage Day last week I was unable to bring up the cans from the curb. My schedule was thrown off and thus my routine was. When my eldest child got off the bus he automatically picked both cans up, put the lids on, and brought them to the house.

This may not seem like a big deal to some, but it was a huge Simple Joy that the child saw a job needed doing and did it without being asked.

Lego Pack Meeting. We have a new Cubmaster in our Pack. He is kind, long on fun ideas, and a positive infusion of energy to our Pack. For the April Pack meeting him and his team of advisors planned a special visit by a couple of employees of the "local" Lego store.

The ladies brought a huge Wolf Scout (over four feet tall) made from Legos, a bag of Legos for all of the boys to build their own American flag like the patch on their uniforms, and a couple of Lego magazines for each scout. In addition, they had a drawing and gave away about a dozen Lego toys, t-shirts, and paraphernalia.

What was most memorable was the immense joy in every child’s face, the fact that the CubMaster was able to conduct his “business as usual” in a meaningful way, and that the entire group will remember this Simple Joy for a lifetime!

Coach. My son is fortunate to have a wonderful coach for his Little League Minor team. Never being involved in team sports in the neighborhood before, I didn’t know what to expect. I was delighted after the very first practice when my son loved his coach and felt a part of the team.

During practices I can see and hear the way the coach and his staff conduct themselves; they are good men. When addressing the team as a whole or as individuals the coach offers constructive advice, no matter how obvious, with tact, humor, and good-naturedness.

I’m over-joyed my son has landed on such an amazing team with a fantastic coach to teach, correct, and lead these boys. Adding this coach to my circle has been a Simple Joy!

Opening Day. Saturday was Opening Day for my oldest son’s Little League Minor baseball team, the Thunder. He was fully suited up for the first time and I was bursting with excitement and pride for this "first" in his life.

My son played decently for his first day; he was walked at his first at bat and struck out on his second. He played left field and had to run for the ball a couple of times, but got the ball to the right kid to get it back in the infield.

My husband and I were able to enjoy the entire game even with our younger children about because they thankfully were playing with other children in a safe environment with my eye on them.

It may have been only the first game, but I could totally get behind giving up my Saturday afternoons watching my son and his friends play baseball.

Oh, and, by the way, the Thunder won 20 – 4.

Slide show. We had a wonderful vacation to Disney World and other parks in the area. We took pictures and videos with our digital camera but had yet to sit down to relive our experiences.

On Sunday night we gathered the children on our laps and started the digital slide show. It was so fun to trace our steps each day we were away.

It’s a Simple Joy to have the modern technology to have a spur-of-the-moment slide show that required no special equipment or set up!

There are all types of Simple Joys that appear to me throughout my days and weeks. Each one, though weighted differently, is no less important than any other.

Each Simple Joy acts as a conduit to making my day, my life better.

To keep perspective I write my Simple Joys down weekly and share them with you to enjoy. Whether you write yours down or merely take a moment to think about them, I hope it helps bring peace and clarity to your life.

Wishing you all a lifetime of Simple Joys.

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