Simple Joys

Welcome to Simple Joys on Chief 187™Chatter.

Every week brings new challenges, different feelings, and the mundaneness of the same.

Life just is.

If we plan, God laughs.

If we give up we’re forced to keep going, and if we relax we are able to see the Simple Joys that exist all around.

There are Simple Joys for all – they are not for only one kind of person. We are all eligible for experiencing the Simple Joys that exist for us. It takes an open mind, a willing heart, and the smallest window of opportunity to allow Simple Joys to enter our lives.

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

Maturity. My oldest child is a sixth grader experiencing his first year of middle school. He was assigned a project due a week after it was announced but my son was going to be camping with the Boy Scouts over the weekend severely limiting his time to work.

Although I was the one who suggested the schedule, my son dove into the assignment working on Friday after school and Sunday after the camping trip to finish the project – three days ahead of schedule.

This may seem like an inconsequential story, but it shows me the leaps and bounds my son has grown maturity-wise. I continue to see the flicker of manhood still being suppressed by the sweet young boy.

Watching my son blossom into a responsible student is a breath-taking Simple Joy.

Date Night. Opportunity presented itself for me to spend time alone with my middle child. He and I rarely find ourselves alone with one another as he has an older and younger sibling who are ever-present. But Friday night was our night.

From walking hand-in-hand to dining on dinner out and he ordering two desserts, my seven-year-old son and I bonded greatly over frozen yogurt and churros. We spent a great deal of time playing Legos and just talking. We’ve decided to do this much more often.

Discovering ever more about my middle son by actually spending quality time with him is a Simple Joy I plan to take advantage much more frequently.

The Girl. She is my appendage. She is my love. She is… so very spirited. And, a lot of the times, she is difficult. That’s probably more about me and the schedule I keep than her, but we struggle and I always feel guilty about it.

Over the weekend we were able to attend a function at her nursery school. As any parent knows, children act far differently away from home than they do at home. Watching my daughter in her element, reacting to adults differently than she does her father and me, was a complete treat.

My daughter followed directions the first time, was able to stand still, and was a delightful young lady the entire time we were there.

Realizing that my daughter is growing into an independent, thoughtful, and sweet child in public was a relief of a Simple Joy.

Working the Chase Race. Spending time online while NASCAR races are on is part of my job – a job I adore. Currently we are in the middle of our “play-offs” in Cup so each race is vastly important to who will be crowned champion in November.

Regardless of how many hang with me, I do my job if I’m home and able to do so. This past Sunday was so much fun the hours melted away and I felt I had made a whole new slew of friends! And what I love best of all is they are all so kind, sweet, and lovely to me.

Spending time at work with people who make me smile, blush, laugh, and think is a very rewarding Simple Joy.

My husband. I’m thinking of making this a permanent category on Simple Joys. Marriage works best when you think of yourself as a team – no one person more important, smarter, or stronger, just two parts of a whole.

Like any fallible human being I had forgotten how to work as a team for a while recently. Frustration, miscommunication, and stupidity ensued. I finally found my way back. I am so much better, stronger, smarter, and fierce as a part of our team than isolating on my own.

We were separated over the weekend for one night and a day and a half. It felt like an eternity to me. When we were finally able to decompress after the children were put to bed on Sunday night we just were together. Alone. And that is the single greatest Simple Joy of my week.

These are my obviously personal – and, perhaps to a readership, boring – Simple Joys. I write them to keep my perspective. I write them to keep gratitude in my life and keep negativity at bay.

As I mentioned earlier in the post, I am human and thus fallible. Writing Simple Joys keeps me on the path of thoughtfulness, thankfulness, as well as keeping me in the moment.

I hope that you take some time each week to think of, jot down, or at least visualize your Simple Joys. Once you do – no matter what life is throwing at you at the moment – you, too, will start experiencing Simple Joys regularly, unexpectedly, and happily.

Wishing you a week filled with Simple Joys.