Joy – “a
feeling of great pleasure and happiness.” What are you doing to experience your
share of joy as often as possible? Do something today that gives you a feeling of
happiness and great pleasure.
Don’t miss
out on the joys in your life. An article I read suggested making a list of 10
things that bring you joy. For those who are writers, the article suggested
that you write about one of the items in a journal, essay, or blog post.
For those
who are not writers, don’t fret. Here’s your challenge…everyday for ten days,
engage in one item from your list. What would you include as the 10 things that
bring you joy? Below are 7 examples from my list:
1. Relaxing on a lawn chair soaking up
the sunshine
2. Watching a Hallmark movie
3. Reading a good book
4. Laughing with family and friends
5. Reading a devotional
6. Experiencing a massage
7. Sipping coffee and watching a sunrise
I could
probably come up with a story to share related to each one of the items above,
but I’ll share a quick one. I remember sitting in my backyard on a blanket on a
warm sunny day during the COVID quarantine. I relaxed with a book, my bare feet,
and birds tweet overhead.
An unwanted
guest interrupted my relaxation. Out of my peripheral vision, a shadow swept
past me. Was it a bunny, a chipmunk, a little bird who lost its’ way? No, it was
a mouse. Minnie and Mickey Mouse are cute on TV, but no dashing through my backyard.
I took up my blanket and left.
Now I enjoy
the sunshine and breeze from the sliding door in my kitchen.
You may be
able to come up with an extensive list of ways you find joy, if so, create a
list of 30 things. Your task then becomes a 30-day challenge of seeking great
pleasure and happiness. Go for it.
Where I work as a janitor, we often get guests from the Animal Kingdom in our building. We may get birds any time of year, usually sparrows, but a sparrow hawk once flew inside our building while I was helping the saw operator unload a rod truck. Sometimes we get mice, particularly in the winter. I usually leave them alone, but one time I found a box with a mouse in it in one of the toilet bowls. I removed the box from the toilet and released the mouse, since I thought it was sadistic leaving a mouse in a box in a toilet to die a slow death from drowning or starvation.
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