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.
4 comments:
Playing on a Steinway concert grand piano...
I wish that I could play.
How could you forget A Muqata Waffle Breakfast?!
SSRIs.
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