Jessica is asking us what brings us joy. She’d like to know what brings us joy in our everyday life, our wealth, our health, our homes, our interests. How about all of the above?

Everyday joys – Having two young kids is frustrating sometimes but it brings the most incredibly happiness too, things that I never could have imagined before. Just today I can think of so many things they said or did that brought joy to that moment: Hayley, playing cat and insisting that her snack be a bowl of dry Honey-Nut Cheerios so she could eat out of the bowl on the floor like a cat (and yes, I obliged!). Breanna, running up behind me as I cleaned the floor on my hands and knees, throwing her arms around me and screaming, “‘ug! ‘Ug!” as she hugged me. Hayley remembering about 90% of the bus safety rules that I was teaching her before she heads off to school, and seeing how proud she was to know them. Breanna practically rolling her eyes back in her head as she said, “Mmmmmmm” while eating her breakfast. Hayley making a bed on the floor for her sister and trying to put her down to nap. Breanna asking her sister, “Oo alrigh?” when Hayley started crying after banging her foot on the bookshelf. Etcetera, etcetera, ad nauseum.

Some days the frustration never ends. Luckily, neither do the little moments like those.

Wealth – I don’t really know what wealth is. I do get joy out of getting paid for my other blogs that I write. Getting paid for something I love to do is amazing. Even more though, I get joy from a very simple and relatively cheap thing – I love slipping into the dollar store and getting a pack of crayons or markers and some drawing pads or colouring books, and bringing them home. I loved walking into a store a couple of months ago and finally finding a little stuffed Orca that Hayley had been wishing for since seeing Free Willy. I loved finding a little flashlight with interchangeable covers that cast shadows of different Dora characters and seeing Breanna nearly explode in joy when I gave it to her. I would love to know what it’s like to have wealth that means big houses and travel and total financial freedom, but most days, it’s buying little things that I know my kids will love that gives me incredibly joy.

Wellness – Lately I’ve been walking a bit more than the usual romp to the park and although I dreaded each trek before it started, I ended up feeling incredibly pleased and revitalized after each walk was over. A little tired, yes, especially the one day that it was eleventy billion degrees with humidity outside, but it just felt so good to go out and walk at a good, aerobic pace without anyone to slow me down. If I could just remember how good exercise makes me feel, I might keep doing it more!

Home – I get joy from seeing toys in my living room. Not all of them out all across the floor at once, but I love seeing toys and knowing that it means I have two kids in my home. On the opposite side of the coin, I get great joy from picking everything up in the evening and seeing a nice, big, clean living room. I am a bit of a housekeeping dork. I don’t like to DO the housework, but (much like the exercise) once I get started, I don’t mind so much and I find myself pleased as all hell when everything is done. Today I was ecstatic that I got my bathtub sparkling clean and shiny (after letting it slide a bit too long) and that the new cleaning wipes I bought made the kitchen glow. I know, how June Cleaver of me.

Interests – Where do I start and how do I finish? I get joy from blogging here, naturally, or else I wouldn’t do it. I also get it from reading what others have to say whether it’s in their own blog or here in my comments. I find joy in taking pictures, even if I’m no pro, just having a snapshot in time makes me happy (and the incredible amount of CDs that have my pictures burned on them would be testament to that!). I find joy in a good book (hello all those hours and HOURS where the Harry Potter series consumed me!), in a good movie, and in cooking. Part of it is just because I wouldn’t do all those things if they didn’t make me happy, but these days it’s also a joyful experience because it’s when I get to step back from being Mom for a short moment or two, and I get to be Sherry again. Just Sherry, doing what she loves to do.

So what it all comes down to is that I find joy in a multitude of ridiculously simple things. It doesn’t take much does it?

Jessica wanted to know because she wants to bestow a free gift of a JOYS filing system. I have heard more than one person sing the praises of JOYS. Do you know why I hope I win the gift? Because this is what my current “filing system” looks like.

Also known as, stuff it in my desk drawers, remember that it’s there, and try to find it later. This system is why George and I tore the entire apartment apart, trying to find Hayley’s school supply list and paperwork a few weeks ago. It was after 24 hours of panic that I remembered it was attached to a clipboard in the very bottom of my drawer. Yeah.

So cross your fingers. CLEARLY we require a system that actually works without producing extra grey hairs and panic attacks.