Two days in, my short research project proves: get a pet, you’ll have more joy in your life!!!
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@abasket I’m just getting to the bottom of this thread with a smile on my face at how many people expressed joy from pets and was going to remark about it but you bear me to it.
To continue along the same lines, it brings me joy to see my two dogs curled up together on the big dog’s bed. He’s 12, and was not exactly happy when we got the smaller dog earlier this year. On top of that, she was not very nice to him and it has been a very long adjustment. She was aggressive and now he’s a bit scared of her. To make matters worse, she stole his bed - she has her own but prefers to lie on his and he ends up going and sleeping on the hard wood floor. They co-exist now in the house thankfully, and for the last couple months when he manages to get to the bed first, she later tries to curl up with him. His tired, old body would immediately try to get up and then let her have the bed. In the past few weeks, either b/c he is too tired or can’t be bothered, occasionally this happens and it makes me happy to see them together.
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It gives me great joy to see my kids together and also with S’s fiancée. They all get along so well, it makes me smile.
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The nearly silent split A/C system also brings all of us great joy! It just makes it quieter and easier to function.
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Generally, being able to relax on the couch when I get home from work brings me joy. That bliss lasts about two minutes, when the dog – who has been following and staring at me since I walked through the door – starts barking/whining.
“Dude… may I please have ten minutes to just lie here and veg? I promise, I’ll give you a belly rub soon.”
Rest brings me joy – I’m pretty low-maintenance. lol
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I was thinking - even before I posted this thread - are gratitude (November) and joy (December) different? Surely we all define either word a little differently.
To me joy is more vibrant and evokes bliss and happiness? Gratitude is more appreciation?
For myself I looked up some synonyms- I feel these pretty well describe joy for me
And to compare…
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I post in my journal almost every morning and I really look forward to it/miss it if I don’t do it. Getting my feelings out, sorting my thoughts. It brings me peace…and joy…because it generally helps me realize that my worries are mostly small or silly and that I’m blessed. Christmas joy? My whole family loves Lindt chocolate balls. I buy a bunch and put them in a big silver bowl on my table. They are pretty & delicious & make me smile. Making little displays like that brings me joy.
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I’m not a big holiday person but one thing I enJOY are the extra plug in lights in the house. I put some around the kitchen window over the sink with a tad of garland and every morning when I plug them in for the day I get a little burst of bliss!
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The post 2 above reminded me…. See’s Toffee-Ettes bring me joy. I am not a big candy eater, but I love Toffee-Ettes. I don’t get them often, but usually around Christmas, and this year I actually ordered them for myself. (I needed a way to get to free shipping).
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After more than two years of abstaining from the movie theater, I have seen two films recently with a friend at afternoon matinees with sparse attendance. I love to watch films and shows on my living room television, but there is something special about watching a film in the dark at the cinema. Joyful to feel safe in doing this again.
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Wordle brings me joy. I do it every day after walking my dog, while drinking my coffee. I love that it is only once a day. I especially enjoy the text chain with my kids sharing their results.
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It gives me joy to read the WaPo profiles of the Kennedy Center award winners (especially George Clooney & Amy Grant) and to look forward to seeing the special on December 28th. Also looking forward to HGTV’s annual special on White House Christmas decorations.
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Many days, exercise brings me joy. I started playing pickleball this year, and I’ve met several really nice people. We’ve taken bike trips which allowed us to see places in ways many people don’t get to. On other vacations we walk miles on the beach, looking for dolphins in the water. During COVID we purchased gym quality exercise equipment so it’s easy to exercise without leaving our home.
I do admit, some days I just do it so I can eat more 
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Bright, bright sunshine sparkling on a totally placid ocean this morning as the backdrop for a boardwalk walk and talk with a friend I haven’t seen in weeks.
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My tennis partner and I won our tennis match today. It was such a fun match and we played so good it would have brought me joy even if we lost.
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A “new to me” joy are battery operated, auto on/shut off candles. I love the ambiance of warm lighting provided by candles on my mantle in the winter. It’s nice having them come on automatically and not have to light candles every night. Not to mention less worry of a fire hazard. My neighbor’s dog knocked over a lit jar candle on her coffee table this week that caught a couple of sofa cushions on fire and ruined her table. It could have been way worse, but a makes me appreciate the fake candles! I do use regular candles occasionally too, but love the ease of the automatic fake ones.
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Caring for our granddaughter gives me such joy. It is so much more so without the worries of a parent. I can devote my day to her with absolutely no guilt😀
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Thankful for a small local airport. Makes it so easy to get to and from our house. A whopping 15-20 min. And a convenient cell phone staging parking area until sibling is out front of airport.
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I just got a lot of joy from NBC’s ending their news today with the Ukrainian Children’s Choir story. The video of it I found online is just 3 minutes long. With so much evil, meanness, and similar things going on in Ukraine (and worldwide), it was really nice seeing kids able to have fun - and their voices in song are terrific. As a fun fact, I never knew Carol of the Bells was originally a Ukrainian song:
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I love how this thread and the November gratitude thread have given me a little “oomph” in remembering to recognize gratitude & joy. Today’s thoughts:
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I have come home after dark twice in the last week and smelled burning leaves. That’s a smell that takes me back to childhood - a simple joy.
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Finished watching “Tis the Season: The Holidays on Screen” from DVR yesterday, a CNN show on holiday movies & tv shows. Loved seeing so many clips of beloved Christmas movies/shows.
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My new home is just off one of the busier streets in my end of town. I’m only about a mile from a summer farm stand/fall pumpkin patch/Christmas tree stand. It’s a little joyful to be walking down the sidewalk and see cars driving by with trees tied to the top of the car knowing that their homes will soon be filled with holiday spirit. I love Christmas trees - live or artificial.
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