What I saw--Wednesday

I saw joy.

I saw an old motel converted into apartments. The motel was in a U-shape with a big parking lot in the center. Their used to be a swimming pool, but that had been filled and a cement slab poured over the top. At the front of the property there was a large city dumpster.

In this parking lot, I saw a Dad and 2 little boys playing basketball. The only thing they had for a basket was the dumpster. The Dad was making the boys work hard to get the ball in the dumpster.

They were finding joy in that moment and I wondered why we sometimes require so much when so little can bring joy.

Finding joy is not so hard

This is a picture of one of the joyeous moments in my life. I recently found the wonderful list of reminders on finding joy:

1. Surround yourself with color--use colors that make you feel good
2. Start or keep us a blog--express yourself
3. Schedule guilt-free indulges--like chocolate
4. Swap CDs with a friend--find out a little about them through music
5. Be more spontaneous--do something at the last minute just for fun
6. Spread cheer--smile at strangers, give compliments, be a good listener
7. Think like a kid--make up a holiday to celebrate
8. Find the humor in it--whatever it is, find a reason to laugh about it
9. Make one new friend--only one if it is going to be a true friend, not just an acquaintance
10. Get more sleep--at least 7 hours a night, lying in bed relaxing while you fall asleep counts
11. Put your right brain to work--create an artists wall of your own work and change it often
12. Have a pot luck with friends--strengthen the bonds of friendships and include your new friend
13. Explore your hometown--you should know all about your surrounding community
14. Do something that scares you--like jump out of an airplane :-)
15. Simplify without stress--purge one thing every month for a year
16. Take a "me" day--Schedule a one-day vacation that is just for you, do whatever you want
17. Host a closet raid--invite friends to empty their closets and have a trading party
18. Give good kisses--kissing releases a chemical that makes you feel euphoric
19. Play hide and seek--write down fun things to do and hide them, when you come across one of them, do it
20. Make your family laugh--do the unexpected, surprise them, be goofy for a change