note: this is part of #bloganuary where each day in the month of January, there is a prompt that we can write on.
What brings me joy is two parts……
My family
Mom the matriarch, and because of that, the head of the family. She is in her 82nd year of life. She gets out of the house nearly every day to run errands that she could probably take care of in a single day (you know I’m right mom). She has really shown us what being involved with children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren is all about and the importance of being active. Mom embraces getting up every day,,,,
Our Kids. We have three that we blending into one family unit. It was not always easy, but we worked at it tirelessly. As a parent you do not always know for sure if the work you put in, the decisions you made, were the best for your kids. Sometimes it takes years. For us, our hard work paid off. Our teamwork paid off, and we have three really great kids that we could not be more proud of. Not because of the accomplishments they have made or the career path they chose. That’s the easy stuff. They are good people. They, have great partners. My role moved from parent, to coach, to mentor over the years. They look to me for advice. They are more than my kids, they are my friends.
My Brother and his wife have two kids. We do not spend as much time together as he or I would like. They live out of town and he works long hours and has a lot of responsibility with his company. I see his success and the kids that he and his wife have raised. They are good kids, a great family.
Dawn and I are in our 23rd year of marriage. I am not sure how she stuck with me this long. It has not always been easy. We did not start out as soul mates. There was a lot of turmoil at the beginning that we had to wade through. Well, I brought the turmoil and she agreed to wade through it with me. When we travel, we do not use navigation. She has the directions written down and communicates them to me at the appropriate check points. The hours of travel seem to just pass on by as we chat, jam tunes, (she also likes the radio turned up) and look for off the path coffee shops along the way. Now, she has capped road trips at 10 hours one way, but I am in negotiations for an extension. Our vacations are epic and fun, always. Our time working around our home is fun. We may not have begun as soul mates, but she is mine, she is my best friend.
Two Grandchildren, each will be two years old this year. Toddler grandchildren are the best. They are silly and you find yourself doing the silliest things with them. They find fun in everything. Watching them is amazing. Watching the amazement in their eyes of the most mundane things, it brings me to a smile and a pause. But watching my kids, interact with their kids. Watching my mom with her great grandchildren, watching Dawn with them too brings great joy.
The Fur Babies, Loki and Nakia. Have to include them. The god of chaos and the undercover agent. They are the silliest, most playful cats we have ever had. He is all Black and she is a muted Torte, and she is polydactyl. She has thumbs. From the moment they came in the house, we fell in love. Watching them interact, play, chase things in the yard,,,
That brings me joy (watching Loki catch chipmunks and carry them around, not so much joy) HAHA
I have found joy in my personal life too.
Public Speaking is for sure terrifying, but I love it. I get such a charge when I get in front of an audience, be it three, or three hundred. There is an amazing amount of energy that can be generated in a room. The feeling that I get when a planned joke is executed properly and the audience reacts with laughter and applause and joy. When I train a group of professionals and they tell me that they are excited to implement the training into their professional and personal lives. Knowing that I helped someone in some way is an amazing feeling.
Woodworking is something I restarted this past summer, making a learning tower for each of my grandchildren. I designed and built it from scratch. It was assembled using only dowels. From Pencil to Polish, it is my creation and watching my grandchildren play on them, knowing that this heirloom piece will be here long after I am. There is so much joy in that.
Remodeling is something that I have been doing most of my life. Currently working on our home, it is a prideful feeling when I finish a project and project manager, Dawn, is excited and happy with the results. Every time I walk past a completed project I can say I did that.
I have so much to be joyful for. I have so much gratitude for my life.
May y’all be happy, healthy, safe, and full of joy.
t.t.
TX2 Solutions 