Fall Joy

“Sometimes life is too beautiful to be captured by a picture.”

An Exceptional Ten Year Old

 

This weekend was just that – too beautiful to be captured in pictures – too beautiful to, perhaps, even be captured in words. 

Laughter spilled out of my house Sunday morning dancing and songs. 

My daughter went to pancakes at her Dad’s while I sang my way to coffee and work before meeting her for a brilliant fall day.  The singing and laughing picked up where we left off at our parting. 

There was time to climb trees, take pictures, share a great lunch, grab a treat or two, and do some exploring before the call of homework and projects beckoned us indoors.

And then there was more laughter, more creativity, and more fun. 

There are days like this; days that sing with joy. 

Joy filled days are not so rare, but I am not sure that they are what we imagine them to be. 

I have heard people talk about wanting happiness or joy as if it is (or they are) permanent aspects of a day or a life.  It is as if the difficulties and challenges disappear in the life that is filled with joy. 

And perhaps for some, it is like that, but for me it is different. 

Sunday was, like many days of my life, filled with joyful moments.  This, however, doesn’t mean that there weren’t moments… moments of discontent or simply moments that weren’t about joy or happiness or anything of the sort.  It means that throughout the day, there were many joyful moments; there were lots of choices to laugh and let go; and there were comfortable silences with space to be. 

So what about it made it a joyful day?

As I have typed this, I have considered that question. 

Of course, my daughter is a part of that answer as is the great weather we experienced and the beauty of the day itself, but…It was more than that or less than that as we can have a joyful day without the great weather. 

In the end, I think that the joy part of the day comes from the relaxed and open mind with which we entered the day.  Yes, there were things to be done and schedules to watch… but mostly, the day was ours to enjoy as it evolved.  We didn’t focus on the time; but more on the moment and the day and each other. 

And that was the joyful part…

The moments themselves.