Current Joys

 If given the chance, anyone could complain about something. No one's life is perfect. At least, I hope not, because if everyone else but me is living a perfect life, then I think I'd be inclined to harbor a bit of indignation and jealousy. At any rate, I could definitely compile a lengthy list of reasons to complain. But as I once heard someone say, "life is so much more than the bad things that happen to me." So instead of hard things, I've compiled a list of very happy things that convince me I'm living my best life. 

In no particular order, they are as follows ... 

Laundry. Sorted piles of dirty clothes, the churning of the washer, the white noise of the dryer; those are some of my favorite things. Even happier is the soft, fresh smell of soap and the warmth of the clean clothes. All the neatly folded piles at the end always invite a satisfied sigh. I wish I could do laundry every day! But alas, two people don't make that much. My favorite load of laundry is sheets. Freshly washed sheets on a neatly made bed is a glorious experience. (Notice I didn't necessarily mention the making of the bed. 😂)

Bread. Two people don't make much laundry, and neither do they go through large quantities of bread. I made a batch of bread several days ago for the first time in a couple of months. I forgot what a joy it is. I'm not one of those sourdough-artisan-dutch oven bread makers. I don't even grind my own flour. (For shame! 👀) My bread is just bread; nothing fancy. But that certainly doesn't diminish the happiness of kneading a soft mound of dough to a firm, elastic texture. I love the process of punching down the bread, watching it expand and rise, and then shaping it into loaves after smacking it solidly several times. (Do you smack your bread too?) And then that warm, rich smell of bread wafting through the house while it bakes and turns to golden brown in the oven is heavenly. I love taking all my loaves out of the oven and slathering butter on their tops, watching it melt and foam on the golden crusts. The rich aroma of fresh bread coupled with the scent of melted butter and added to the knowledge that I did all of this by myself is always a genuine joy. 

Yogurt. If you know me well at all, you know that besides making bread, my second favorite thing to make is yogurt. Greek yogurt. It's actually ridiculous how excited I can get about a jar of fermented milk. I started experimenting with yogurt several years ago and soon decided that Greek is my favorite. Textures are a big deal to me, and I fell in love with the thick, creamy consistency. But I also love how much richer it tastes. Like bread, making yogurt is a process, but I enjoy every single step of it. Without a doubt, draining it after incubation until it's the perfect consistency and then running it through a blender is the best part. When I pour the yogurt from the blender to the jars, it's a white river of silky smoothness. Absolute perfection. Utmost joy! I know several people who prefer not to eat plain yogurt, but sometimes I eat yogurt like it's candy, savoring every spoonful. 

Good books. There are some books that leave one feeling particularly contented and happy after reading the last page; a little like one feels after eating a delicious meal. Some books evoke a mixture of adrenaline and dopamine. Those are the books worth reading, and I read one of those books recently per a recommendation from a friend. The last pages were full of intrigue, surprise, shock, and many solved puzzle pieces. I was so happy I wanted to cry and so sad I wanted to cry all at the same time. I quickly decided it was the best book I've ever read in my whole life. In the whole grand scheme of my life, one really good book isn't that big of a deal. But it's a joy, be it a small one. So it definitely counts. 

Beautiful weather. Fresh clear air. Blue, blue skies. Warm rays of sun. Colors that slowly descend further down the mountainside every day. The world is truly an exquisite place to live! I must admit I usually struggle to enjoy fall because I'm too grieved to let summer go. Fall means that the world is about to transform into a bare, bitter place. But this year, I decided to pretend I don't know winter is coming and just enjoy every beautiful thing fall has to offer. I might have to write more about that later, but God has smiled upon the Shenandoah Valley these last several weeks bringing much joy to my soul!

These are not the entirety of my joys. There are many more that may seem quite trivial - clean bathrooms and freshly washed hair to name two. Sometimes I wonder why such small things bring such great happiness. But I've concluded that really, all of these joys are emphasized (and maybe even created) simply because Jesus is the center of all my joy. 

And that's the joyful-est joy of all. 😍

(P.S. The book is called Theo of Golden by Allen Levi. And you should read it too!!)