50 Things I Love

Joy feels fleeting and fast. If you don’t snag it as it sprints by it seems to disappear, completely out of sight.

And yet, when I do successfully land it on my hook, it’s a wriggly, wiggly thing, like a wet fish flopping about. It’s unruly, always looking for an escape route. I cannot hold onto it for dear life.

Joy simply will not stay put in my corner.

So I resolve to let it go…again.

Goodbye joy. Can we meet again soon? I sigh and wrap my arms around myself. Everything will be okay, even now.

Joy is a fickle thing- yes.

But I think I’ve figured it out- joy waits for us to release it, to stop trying to hook it on our line, then toss it in a dark freezer for preservation.

Joy needs light and air and freedom in order to flow within and around us.

Joy is attracted to our openness to life, our relaxation into reality, and our release of all expectations.

Of course we’d love nothing more than for joy to belong solely to us, but it refuses to be owned. We can’t look up it’s permanent address because it has none. Joy only waits for us to set the table so it can come by for a brief and momentary visit.

I think we can set up our lives in such a way that we’re prepared for our passerby friend named joy, willing to wait for its arrival without worry, and then release it with our most generous spirit.

We must constantly remind ourselves: Joy has come before, it will always come again. I need only to remember all the places I saw it last.

1. a text from an old friend
2. a long walk
3. a deep conversation
4. a tall mug of tumeric, ginger tea
5. a smile from a stranger
6. a quiet morning
7. a child’s fort
8. a light breeze on a hot day
9. a soft hoodie
10. clean sheets
11. clean children
12. clean counters
13. front yard flowers
14. morning bird song
15. french cafe music
16. dreams of living in Europe
17. sweat dripping down my back
18. baguettes and bicycles
19. summer evenings
20. ocean waves
21. winding trails
22. serene lakes
23. a bowl of cereal
24. peanut butter and jelly
25. a sip of my husband’s coffee
26. rainbows
27. fuzzy blankets
28. gripping stories
29. tiny fairy gardens
30. bouquets of wildflowers
31. bright pink
32. a full day outside
33. fresh air
34. picnics
35. running
36. upbeat tunes
37. forest green
38. kittens
39. my pillow and blanket
40. trail mix
41. a bike ride
42. handwritten notes
43. sending a surprise gift
44. seashells
45. poetry
46. islands
47. quaint cottage-like houses
48. harbors
49. cobblestone streets
50. bookstores