What Brings You Joy?

Given the somber tone of some of my recent posts I wanted something light so I thought that I’d bring this back for some more time in the sun.

Ann receives credit for inspiring this post. If clicked on the link you’ll see that she has a list of roughly 25 different things that bring her joy. I appreciate posts like that because I think that in the hustle and bustle of life we forget about what makes us happy.

I don’t know if I can come up with a list of 25 things that bring me joy. I suspect that I am going to miss the mark by a little or exceed it by quite a bit. It seems a little extreme to phrase it like that. Why should it be an either/or situation. Why does it have to be so black and white.

The post about Mookie really hit me hard. It was a gut check that surprised me with how much it affected me. I can guarantee that part of this comes from being a parent. There is no greater fear than losing a child. I read the blogs of several people who have had this tragedy happen to them and I see what it has done. That is not a comment on their mental health or ability to function. Truthfully I don’t know enough to answer those questions. We only see what they show and it is not my place to even hazard a guess. What I know is that these experiences have changed them forever and that I have profoundly been impacted by their experiencess.

Anyway, I think that it is critical for our mental health to consider what it is that makes me happy so I am going to jump in and start my own list of things that bring me joy. It is going to be a stream of consciousness exercise. I may forget to include things and the order is not based upon importance but when I thought of it.

One other thing. I can almost guarantee that if I read a list composed by someone else I will kick myself and think why didn’t I say that. Why wasn’t I more profound. Why is my list lacking substance.

My children.

My children’s laughter.

Laughing with my children.

Laughing.

Laughing with my friends/family/loved ones.

Quiet moments.

Quiet moments spent camping.

Hiking.

Blessing my children.

Spending time with my loved ones.

Knowing that I am loved deeply and truly.

Playing with my parent’s dog.

Travelling.

Meeting new people.

Eating my favorite foods.

Reading a good book.

Five o’clock

Midnight

A good movie.

A great book.

Listening to music.

Floating on a raft.

Zuma Beach.

Lion’s Canyon

Yosemite

Jerusalem

The Sierra Mountains.

Memories of past joy, thoughts of the present and dreams of the future.

Awareness of how far I have come and how much I have learned in this journey called life.

Learning from blogging,

Writing.

Good Scotch shared with good friends.

Driving on the 33 into Ojai.

Watching the sunset over Jerusalem.

Friday night at the Kotel.

Catalina Island.

That is enough for now.