Find a way to create joy each day
Sometimes we'll see a next-door-neighbor type everyman doing something -- for their job, as a hobby, in an instructional video -- and think, "That's easy, I could do that." Or even, "They're screwing that up; I'd be much better." Entire TV series and YouTube channels, from gameshows to reality shows, are partially based on this… Continue reading Admiration for amateurs
Nobody likes getting bad news. But sometimes bad news is a relief, because it's not worse news. And bad news gives us an opportunity to count our blessings. Your pre-teen wakes you up in the middle of the night because he's feeling sick, and then vomits. But he made it to the bathroom toilet --… Continue reading The relief of bad news
Is there anything more glorious than tens of thousands of people all cheering and celebrating when something happens that they weren't expecting? Take for example, this play from the NFL. The Minnesota Vikings were losing by one point with seconds left in a playoff game. Needless to say, their chance of winning the game and… Continue reading The glory of the celebrating crowd
There's an important joy corollary (joy-ollary?) to baby birds peeking out of the nest and then them coming back into the nest to snuggle. It's being able to leave them in the nest. When our kids are young and first mobile, we spend most of our time keeping an eye on them, because they don't… Continue reading Leaving the birds in the nest
If there's joy in your baby bird peeking out of the nest, then there's even more joy in the homecoming when they look back inwards and snuggle back in. When they do, it can be a trickle of information, or a flood. The chorus might be "Yeah," "Uh-huh," and "I guess." Or it might be… Continue reading Back to the nest again
