30 Days of Joy...............Day 12

I'll tell you what is not joy--staying up too late finishing a lesson for class tomorrow, then checking in on Facebook to discover that an old friend of mine is friends with my cousin who I had misplaced over the years, then staying up even later looking at all of my cousin's cancer survival photos. I hadn't even known that she had cancer, so seeing photos of her minus her beautiful locks was a shock. Here's what sucked all the joy right out of my lungs at 12:45 A.M.-- I looked at a beautiful photo of her that she titled: "I needed an obituary photo in case I died."

Yeah, so I was feeling pretty lackluster and thought it was time to head to bed, but remembered that I hadn't done my joy post for the day. Since I haven't gone to bed yet, my day is not technically over, so I am taking license to still do my joy post for today. Even though it's now tomorrow.

Looking back over the events of today, once again I am reminded of how seemingly trivial life events are capable of bringing us the most joy, if we remember to look. I needed that reminder after becoming aware of my cousin's cancer scare.

Joy #1
My new teenager decided--on his own--to clean his room. He opted to make space by giving away one of his prized possessions--his aircraft carrier. The lucky recipient was his nephew, Avatar.

Joy #2
Em came over today to borrow some vinegar, and little Chunk came along for the ride. He walked over to my fridge and got out the jam and bread. Then he said, "I get the peanut butter," and opened my cupboard door and handed me the jar. I obeyed, and made a PBJ for him. When it was time for Em to leave, he blew her a kiss, indicating that he was staying with Grandma. Ah, the independence of a two-year old. He and Weston played ball.

Joy #3
When I decided that it was time for Chunk to go back to Mommy, I took him home. The trees at Em's house were exhibiting a hint of autumn so I had to grab my camera (it's obvious that it goes everywhere with me, right?) and attempt to capture the moment.

Joy #4
Boyz II Men.
No, not the singing group, although I love them, too.
I'm talking about the joy of seeing a young boy pick up an axe and chop some wood. It's that joyous moment when you realize that your son, and all his friends, have crossed the bridge from being little boys to being young men. They saw a neighbor in need, showed up at her house, and started splitting (using a manly wood-cleaving apparatus--ar,ar) and chopping the logs that were sitting in her driveway. A job that would have taken her family weeks to finish, took only two evenings with the help of these boys.

I'm going to bed now. It's 1:40 A.M. and 6:30 will come far too quickly.  

But now I'm hungry...