THIS COUNTS TOO

In defense of very small happiness.

DELIGHT No. 24

There is a strange habit we humans have.

We rank joy.

We don't necessarily mean to.

But somewhere along the way, we begin believing happiness should arrive looking like something.

A vacation.

A celebration.

A major accomplishment.

Wonderful news.

A beautiful day we've been waiting months to experience.

Something worthy of photographs.

Something we can point toward and say:

There. That was a good day.

Meanwhile...

a piece of toast lands butter-side up.

And frankly, that's pretty good too.

😂

We Have Been Looking in the Wrong Direction

Delight is rarely standing at the front door holding balloons.

Sometimes it is.

Excellent.

Invite it in.

But more often, delight slips through the side door while we're doing something else.

The first sip of coffee.

Warm socks.

A song arriving at exactly the right moment.

The dog doing something ridiculous.

Someone laughing so hard they cannot finish the sentence.

A parking meter with eleven minutes left on it.

Finding money in an old coat.

The smell of rain.

Getting into bed with freshly washed sheets.

That first cool breeze after a terribly hot day.

None of these things will change your life.

Except—

for a moment...

they do.

The Good Strawberry

You know the one.

You bought the container.

Some are fine.

Some are disappointing.

One is magnificent.

Perfectly ripe.

Sweet.

Exactly what a strawberry has been advertising itself as all these years.

You take a bite.

Oh.

There it is.

Nobody else needs to know.

This moment belongs to you and the strawberry.

🍓😂

The Green Light

You are driving.

The light ahead is green.

You approach.

Still green.

Surely it's going to change.

It doesn't.

You continue through.

Then the next one is green.

Interesting.

Then another.

Ohhhhhhh.

You have entered The Corridor of Favor.

😂

Do not become arrogant.

The universe can humble you at the next intersection.

But for now?

Proceed, Chosen One.

The Pocket

You put on a coat you haven't worn since last season.

Hand into pocket.

Something's there.

Money.

Five dollars.

Perhaps ten.

Technically, this is your own money.

Doesn't matter.

You have been gifted.

By Past You.

Past You finally came through.

We take back some of the things we've said.

🤣

The Smell

Sometimes delight doesn't even give you enough time to prepare.

Someone is baking bread.

A wood fire somewhere nearby.

Coffee.

Lilacs.

Rain on warm pavement.

An old book.

Fresh-cut grass.

Something catches you unexpectedly and—

for one second—

you are somewhere else.

Maybe somewhere you've been.

Maybe with someone you loved.

Maybe nowhere you can name.

You simply stop.

Oh, I love that smell.

That counts.

The Song

You're in a store.

Car.

Kitchen.

Somewhere entirely ordinary.

Then the opening notes begin.

Your song.

You haven't heard it in years.

Your whole body recognizes it before your brain finishes remembering.

You turn it up.

Or sing.

Possibly badly.

Especially badly.

The song does not mind.

The Moon

You're taking out the trash.

This is not a spiritual activity.

You are wearing questionable clothing.

Perhaps slippers.

You look up.

And there it is.

Huge.

Bright.

Beautiful.

You stop beside the trash bin.

Just for a second.

Nothing else has changed.

The trash still needs taking out.

Tomorrow still has responsibilities.

But the moon is magnificent.

This counts too.

The Unexpected Laugh

This may be one of my favorites.

You weren't trying to laugh.

Perhaps you were having a difficult day.

Maybe you were tired.

Worried.

Irritated.

Then someone says something.

Or you see something.

And laughter escapes before you have time to decide whether you're in the mood.

A real laugh.

The kind that surprises you.

For three seconds, whatever else you've been carrying loosens its grip.

The problem didn't disappear.

But something else became true at the same time.

You laughed.

That counts.

Very much.

Delight Does Not Cancel Difficulty

I think this matters.

We aren't pretending everything is wonderful.

It isn't.

Some days hurt.

Some seasons ask far too much.

There are things we cannot fix with gratitude, positive thinking, a good strawberry or Bernard the cactus.

Bernard has limits.

🌵

But difficulty does not invalidate delight either.

You are allowed to laugh while grieving.

Notice beauty while uncertain.

Enjoy dinner while worried.

Dance while something remains unresolved.

Love something about a day you would otherwise rather forget.

Joy does not betray sorrow.

Sometimes it simply sits beside it.

Remember?

There is room for both.

♥️

Perhaps That Is What We've Been Doing Here

Twenty-four little invitations.

Not instructions for happiness.

Not lessons in becoming a better person.

Certainly not a program.

Good grief.

We have a talking cabbage.

🤣

Just invitations to notice.

The ridiculous.

The tender.

The ordinary.

The astonishingly unnecessary.

The things people do.

The things we do.

The things we thought we outgrew.

The things we misplaced.

The things we accidentally brought home.

The moments somebody actually witnessed.

The moments nobody saw at all.

Hot dogs and noodles.

Tuesday.

The good mug.

The good stick.

Bernard.

And yes...

the cabbage.

Apparently the cabbage stalks now.

No backsies.

Delight Has Terrible Timing

It doesn't wait until life is sorted out.

That's important.

If we decide we'll enjoy ourselves when everything is settled...

we may be waiting a very long time.

There will always be something unfinished.

Something uncertain.

Something needing attention.

Laundry has shown extraordinary resilience throughout human history.

It will be there tomorrow.

😂

Sometimes delight appears in the middle of everything.

Let it.

You Don't Have to Earn It

You don't have to finish your work first.

You don't have to be productive enough.

Helpful enough.

Healed enough.

Grateful enough.

You don't have to justify five minutes in the sunshine.

Or laughing at something stupid.

Or buying yourself flowers.

Or taking the long way home because the trees are beautiful.

Delight is not a reward issued by the Department of Responsible Adulthood.

We checked.

That department doesn't even exist.

Although Thursday has submitted paperwork.

Your Assignment

There isn't one.

Really.

You've had twenty-three assignments.

That's excessive.

😂

Instead—

go live your life.

And every once in a while...

notice.

When something makes your shoulders drop—

notice.

When something makes you curious—

notice.

When somebody makes you laugh—

notice.

When something tiny makes an ordinary day unexpectedly better—

notice.

Don't immediately dismiss it because something more important is happening.

Don't compare it to somebody else's happiness.

Don't ask whether it's enough.

Just let yourself think:

Well, that was lovely.

Because it was.

And because—

THIS COUNTS TOO.

♥️