What Gives Me Joy

There have been times of despair. Gloomy and hopeless moments; sometimes they stretch into days, weeks, even months. Perhaps you have had these as well?

At those moments I have found help in thinking on the simple things that give me joy. Usually free but certainly low cost if not free. The very process of thinking about these things gives me joy.

1. A very tasty meal: sauces, juiciness, some spices, yet simple meat tastes, too
2. A fruity juice drink; not too sweet, but loaded with flavor, succulent
3. A beef roast, medium rare and juicy; hot and oozing; au gratin potatoes nearby
4. A Caesar salad with crunchy croutons, the right amount of dressing, tangy and rich
5. A fine day: 70 degrees, light breeze, full sunny day, deep azure sky; no bugs; no or very low pollen
6. A well written line, poem or prose
7. A fantastic plate of sunny side eggs sautéed in butter; accompanied by juicy, chewy lean bacon and a pair of well toasted English muffins with nooks and crannies pooled with melted butter
8. A vista of purple mountains majesty
9. The smell of the desert: light breeze, dry air, sun, wildflowers and weeds waving gently in the breeze; birdsong trilling nearby
10. Music, well formed and played; percussive piano, gutty violin, sonorous tones from multiple voices; Bach, Mozart, Handel, Hayden: let the rhythms turn and mix with vigor and lilt of line
11. Choral music, blend, melody, chordal structure, counterpoint, and more
12. Single line piano music with growing chord support, but light; cocktail music yet with a message, a voice, a feeling reaching out to touch the hard-to-get-at-point-of- it-all
13.  A church service that pulls you into a strong attempt at understanding the unknowable; offering discovery……
14. Putting pieces of ideas together so they have meaning; have resonance, make sense and give a trailhead to future understanding as well
15. Helping others discover the above, all of the above
16. Sharing time and space with significant others without speaking
17. Feeling healthy, strong and well……..
18. Being involved in community, knowing what’s going on, not the gossip, but the actual facts and events that matter and can be grown into stronger futures for the good of the community; knowing that standing alone, being an island, is of little use; it is about sharing and helping others make it in life that matters; being of use
19. Being of open mind, accepting of external stimuli, sensing what they might mean, how they blend with other stimuli and gain more meaning, etc. The universe is all around us; what does it tell us, mean for us; do we get it?
20. Taking in full breaths and knowing it is real, full, rich and clean air that feeds the mind and body of essential components of the world
21. A tree: fully shaped, green, leafy bounty and bounce; strength, clean air, woody smell of bark and stem
22. Emerging from ‘alone time’ to be with people

Do these give you joy, too? If not, what works for you? Write a list of those items and think back on them from time to time. Share them with others if you wish! It’s good to keep track of these.

November 11, 2011