My Joy List

The Glitter Globe/S.R. Karfelt

Every once in a while I like to rework this list. It’s simply a list of things that bring me joy. Years ago I attended a lecture where we were encouraged to write one. The idea is to come up with 100 things of any size, shape, or form that bring you joy. 

Despite all the bad in the world, there's still plenty of good too.

Can you do it?

1. Sex.
2. Sex.
3. Sex.
4. I’m married, I can say that.
5. And I’ve been married thirty years, so if you’re a perv trolling the internet keep right on going. I only like sex with a guy who’s adored me every day for thirty years.
6. Freaking my kids out a bit. (See above.)
7. Surreptitiously snapping photos of other people’s dogs. Storing them on my phone. AND naming them.
8. My sonic toothbrush. To each her own.
9. Laughing with other writers.
10. Laughing with my kids.
11. Talking to my kids when they toss out something wildly inappropriate for a mom to hear. That means that we’re actually communicating.
12. The mint that grows wild around my house.
13. Making tea from the mint around my house.
14. Bright yellow lemons.
15. Hummingbirds.
16. My hummingbird feeder.
17. Wild foxes in my backyard.
18. Garden tomatoes.
19. Houseboats in Amsterdam.
20. Riding trains.
21. Skydiving.
22. The Grand Canyon.
23. Phantom Ranch.
24. Hiking.
25. Roughing it in the wilds of Canada.
26. Car trips with my husband.
27. Flying.
28. Night writing.
29. Autumn.
30. Summer.
31. Blackwing pearl balanced graphite genuine incense-cedar pencils. So sexy.
32. Writing with pencils on good paper.
33. Dancing.
34. Loud screamo music.
35. Walking.
36. Sorta jogging (but not really).
37. Smencils.
38. Kinderfest supersticks classic colored pencils.
39. Doodling.
40. Amsterdam.
41. Rome.
42. The shire.
43. German beer. This is very new.
44. The people I meet in Alonissos.
45. The beaches of Alonissos.
46. The rocks on the beaches of Alonissos.
47. Writing with pencils in Alonissos.
48. The Acropolis Museum in Athens.
49. The woods.
50. Old cemeteries. It’s my list, I get to pick.
51. When my kids are happy.
52. When my kids are safe.
53. When dogs howl.
54. Stickers.
55. Autumn leaves ironed between sheets of wax paper.
56. Striking up deep conversations with strangers.
57. Good dental floss. My list again.
58. Fountain pens.
59. Irreverent rotten cats that belong to other people.
60. Working dogs.
61. Old books.
62. Classic novels.
63. Good books.
64. More books.
65. People who trash stereotypes. The Democratic gun enthusiast. The eighty-year old lover playing the field. The obscenely wealthy woman who lives in a trailer and rides her bike everywhere.
66. Rainy nights.
67. Misty mornings.
68. Sunsets.
69. Wildflowers.
70. Including dandelions—but not when they go incognito prickly cactus in the grass and I step on them barefoot.
71. Fall foliage.
72. Naked trees.
73. Hamsters running on wheels.
74. Hedgehogs in the wild.
75. Snorkeling.
76. Open-minded people.
77. Passionate people.
78. Kind people.
79. Honest people.
80. Determined people.
81. Dependable people.
82. Trustworthy people.
83. Magic markers.
84. Halloween.
85. Greek salads in Greece.
86. Styling blank notebooks.
87. Picnic baskets.
88. 3M Scotch Tape.
89. Walking a strange city at night.
90. Crispin apples.
91. Good cucumbers.
92. Iced water to drink.
93. Lavender Chamomile Tea.
94. When my Levis are roomy in the waist.
95. Overgrown lavender bushes.
96. Pots of fresh basil.
97. Those teeny tiny sea snails that crawl across the bottom of the sea near shore.
98. Smooth egg shaped stones.
99. Sea glass.
100. Beeswax candles.

Can you tell I was getting into it? It was hard to stop. How about sharing your list? It's a good way to turn your day around, and dig up some enthusiasm. I promise. Volcanic rocks. Prickly pear. Babies. Flying—in dreams or for real...I could go on...obviously. Your turn.