On finding joy

On finding joy
 I’ve been feeling like everything I’ve written so far is such an incredible downer. It’s all about crappy experiences and hurt and sadness. But that’s really not how I feel about my life at all. Generally speaking, I am a happy person. While I think I’m not AS happy and joyful as I was about 20 years ago, I do find joy and happiness in my life. I thought that I would simply list the things that do truly give me joy, a list lending itself more to the topic than a long form boring elaboration that would lean heavily into silliness. 

So here ya go – my list of happy:

· The look on my husband’s face when he sees me after a long day
· A beautifully simple yet exquisite Low Mass – TLM style – no organ, no choir, no cantor. Pure bliss.
· My best friend’s quick “love ya” at the end of a phone call 
· My kitty napping on my chest after making heaps of biskies
· Laundry drying on the line – crisp sheets and tablecloths floating on the breeze
· Freshly cut grass and tidy lawns 
· A basket of perfectly folded laundry – even if it doesn’t get put away for a week. Or three. 
· The view out our front windows
· How the morning sunlight comes through the bedroom windows for about 30 seconds before hiding behind the neighbor’s house
· My beautiful home when I’m able to open up all the doors and see the pretty rooms
· Birds singing on a summer morning when the windows are open and I get to lie in for a bit 
· Fresh sheets on the bed, fresh jammies, right out of the shower. 
· Perfect breeze through the windows
· Dancing. Any chance I can get. It never happens anymore, but when I can I am truly elevated. 
· My husband’s homemade bread and poached eggs – well, pretty much anything out of his kitchen makes me happy.
· Standing under the yews in the backyard. I’ve gone there in time of deep grief and sadness, and my kitty is buried there, but it still makes me happy to go there.
· Seeing my Baby Mouse Ears hosta come up each year, and realizing I haven’t killed it – yet. 
· Every winter - listening to George Winston-December. It still, after decades, speaks to my soul. 
· Our home decorated for Christmas - every ornament has a story. So many stories. 
· The rare occasion when I can paint my nails and my hands look pretty
My husband.