Easy Joy

On a hot day like today I enjoy revisiting Alaska via my photos from last year's trip. My photos were not award winning, but I enjoy the memories.

Yesterday was a particularly joyful day. Joy comes to me most easily when I am with beloved friends. Even easier when beloved friends and I share a fun moment or the like. I was able to connect.

I grew up in a home where it was odd for a day to go by where someone didn't show up unexpectedly at the door. Usually friends and family were coming and going all day long. In Southern California the unexpected drop-in hasn't caught on so much. When I show up unannounced at someone's door here they stare at me from the doorway with a puzzled look and usually ask "why are you here?"

My Joyful friend brought by something I needed and also a surprise gift from another friend. Yes, I love surprises...I love gifts...I love it when friends surprise me with gifts. When Joyful arrived she was too tired to walk up my stairs, so, we sat at the foot of my steps and each had a piece of dried ginger root. Dried ginger root is cool and refreshing...for a few seconds, then becomes a wild blaze. Fortunately Joyful had an apple to chase down the ginger. We were thanking God for fresh apples.


Next another friend picked me up and we had dinner at a new Thai restaurant and ate amazing fresh spring rolls with a great friend. We followed it with some really well prepared Pad Thai. Our conversation was primarily: "Oh, doesn't that look good?", "Mmmmm", "Oh my goodness, this is delicious!", and "I could eat this every day", and "These spring rolls are so much better than the last place."
Not the stuff of novels, but our tongues and tummies were too happy to be eloquent.

After our dinner we noticed a huge ocean mural painted in an obscure place next to the parking lot. It was a real surprise to find something so like that in this hidden nook. After we enjoyed the painting we ran some errands. Even errands are fun when the experience is shared with a friend.

After I got home I discovered that Treasure now has 7 eggs in her nest box. My pacific parrotlet named Gloria has one egg in her's. Ah, just what I prayed for.

Joy is easy for me when I am in community (as it was meant to be).
Joy is a challenge when I am isolated or faced with questions I have no answer to.

I am grateful for yesterday with it's many blessings.
I am grateful I have managed to find the nicest people in the world as friends.
I am grateful for Thai restaurants.
I am grateful for new parrot eggs.
I am grateful for easy joy.
I am grateful for joy that comes with decided effort also.

GratefulJoy