I recently had a lot of excitement in my home office.
The same day that my 21-year-old son Jay got an unexpected afternoon off from his summer job, my good friend Everett, age three, came to visit.
Everett, who usually travels with a baseball bat and ball, a football or a basketball, came equipped with two pirate swords. He immediately engaged Jay in a rambunctious sword fight.
Next, Everett decided it was time to play hide-and-seek and instructed Jay to hide. When Everett ran from the kitchen to the living room to the dining room and couldn’t find Jay anywhere, he announced, “He’s disappeared!”
Then, of course, it was time for cookies and juice.
I thought afterward about simple pleasures. I found immense pleasure in sharing the delightful laughter of a three-year-old and also in seeing my young-adult son’s patience with a child.
I sometimes long for a ton of money for a shopping spree or a European vacation or a big assignment from a new client. But I need to remember that happiness arrives, too, in many small ways. Generally, these little happy moments are much more accessible and often much more meaningful.
I’m going to add more things-to-do that make me happy to my to-do list. Along with work assignments and chores at home, I’m going to include more time with friends of all ages, good books and family outings.
–Joy