Simple Joys are the welcomed part of every day. They are a combination of planned and incidental events that occur in one’s life that induce smiles, laughter, or pleasure in some way. The mood may be long-lasting or fleeting, but, when added up, equal a wholly good feeling for the bulk of the day.
For me, Simple Joys have been a God-send helping me through tough times, awkward moments, and hopeless feelings. Since writing Simple Joys I am able to slog through the seemingly desperate times in my life and focus on the positive.
Now, even when experiencing unpleasantness, stress, and/or my own personal hell, I know that if I hold on long enough I can once again experience Simple Joys.
And I’m not the only one. No matter your situation, Simple Joys are available to you as well. By opening your heart and mind to their existence in your life Simple Joys can happen to you as well.
Remember Simple Joys are literally as simple as a funny on Facebook that makes you laugh, a compliment from a stranger, or remembering to record your favorite show on the DVR. It can be as life-sustaining as a hug from a loved one, hearing “I love you” from the one(s) you love, and a helping hand when most needed.
Simple Joys are as basic and as intricate as needed at any given time. They are out there; it’s just a different perspective to find them. And really, isn’t it about time you experienced your own Simple Joys?
And now, without further ado, is this week’s Simple Joys.
Harvest. October has been mild in my corner of the world. But at the end of the past weekend much colder temperatures were blanketing my area. The basil my husband planted in late spring had done so well all season and was more than plentiful. I wanted to utilize the crop before the first freeze destroyed it.
My husband and my sons set to work harvesting the plants while I stayed in the kitchen to process the pesto sauce I’d written about so many times before.
Having a bountiful crop of basil and my fine men to pick the leaves for me to make into pesto was a serious Simple Joy that has now filled my freezer with batches upon batches of the green elixir!
Teamwork. While I made the pesto the boys were out on the deck picking leaves off the basil plant – it was a Herculean task as there were hundreds of stems!
Instead of complaints I heard my husband and sons’ voices wafting through the air. At first it was talking and laughter, but then I heard singing!
“Les Miserables” was the first music I heard – my husband singing Jean Val Jean’s part and my eldest singing Javert’s.
Then the music changed and my oldest began singing School House Rock songs – verbatim! That is when I felt compelled to join the group. We sang “Inter-planet Janet” and the “Preamble to the Constitution”.
As corny as it may read, working together for a common goal and singing and laughing to achieve that goal was a Simple Joy that warmed my heart and made me soar!
Pinterest. I’ve written about my interest and pleasure in this social media site that allows its users to create virtual bulletin boards and “pin” things to it – pictures, recipes, articles, etc.
Well, recently I made a board for my daughter who turns three on Sunday. She loves looking at Barbies and tulle skirts. We pin a lot of those things to her board!
Over the weekend my middle boy wanted his own board. We had a blast pinning Lego sets, pictures, and video game images on his board. In addition he loved adding images from first grade – his current grade– that made him happy.
My oldest son got a board later in the weekend. We, too, enjoyed the process of filling up his board with his favorite images.
Sharing time together with my children “pinning” has become a rich source of Simple Joys.
Artist. My middle guy loves to draw and color. He is a self-proclaimed artist. The other day he took out a book that had illustrations, asked for a piece of printer (blank) paper, and disappeared with a pencil. He resurfaced with a page filled with attempted drawings of the pictures he’d seen in the book.
The boy doesn’t trace, he looks at the picture and draws his version freehand until it comes out right in his mind. On the page were nearly exact replicas of the images he saw and wanted to duplicate.
My husband and I are not gifted artists in this way. Seeing the creative juices flow through our son who enjoys the process with reckless abandon is a Simple Joy that fascinates and delights!
The big guy. My oldest son has been working hard practicing his instrument that he just received a few weeks ago – trombone. He was able to make a sound the first time he put his lips to the mouthpiece and consistently gets better.
Each night he goes to his room to practice I get a thrill knowing that he will learn the instrument and be able to play throughout his life.
Watching the process and hearing the progress of my son’s music entry is a Simple Joy so powerful it moves me to joyful tears!
These are, of course, my personal Simple Joys that I share a sampling of weekly. They are an abridged record of the special times – Simple Joys – in my life.
My Simple Joys are only meant to serve as a catalyst for you, the reader, to find, identify, and appreciate the Simple Joys in your own life.
It is not the specific action, money spent, or anything of the like, it’s simply finding the positive perspective in life to enjoy each and every day as it comes.
Again, I do not ignore the difficulties life throws our way, instead I infuse good times throughout my week to balance the negative.
We’ve only got one life, I suggest we fill it with Simple Joys!
Please join me tomorrow as I wax poetic about yet another topic on Freestyle Wednesday on Chief 187™Chatter.
Fresh basil...wonderful stuff!
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