What's your joy?

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   Popitposted 9 years ago

   I don't mean the big joy's; children, your partner, your achievements.  I mean the little joy, the small thing that makes you smile and love the world a little more.
   
   Here's a start :  the moon.  My heart always leaps when I see the new moon in the arms of the old.  A big full moon bathing the fields with silver light; gives me a fuzzy glow.  No moon at all reveals the Milky Way - breathtaking, especially when there are shooting stars as well.  Old friends but it never gets old.
   
   Now your turn!

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      Jeremy Gillposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Those images of the moon sound lovely, Popit. For me, the sound of rain always calms me and makes me feel at peace. Additionally, a simple "hello", be it from a friend or a stranger, never fails to brighten my day.

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         Popitposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Summer rain is lovely but the winter rain gets me down.  Trudging out to feed the pig in the lashing rain is always a bit of a bind.

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      colorfuloneposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      The night skies are always a joy to look at. (as long as it's not cloudy)

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         Popitposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Ah here, it is often cloudy.  But then the fire salamanders come out and they're so cute and friendly.  If you put out your hand, they will hold one of your fingers.  Another small joy.  Of course, if you don't like lizard like creatures, it could be a bit traumatic.

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            colorfuloneposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            I use to have a pet Iguana that was a snuggler. It was almost three feet long before it died. Reptiles are a joy to me as long as they do not bite.

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               Popitposted 9 years agoin reply to this

               Iguana's are beautiful.  You must really miss your pet, it must have been a big part of your life, in more ways than one.

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            DrMark1961posted 9 years agoin reply to this

            No salamanders in Brasil, unfortunately.
            My small joy most afternoons is watching my Guinea Fowl come running when they see me cutting down a green coconut. I use the water myself but they get to enjoy the nata, the soft coconut meat from green coconuts.

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               Popitposted 9 years agoin reply to this

               What a wonderful image.  I've never kept Guinea Fowl just chickens and they to come running for leftovers.  Birds are so comical and (contrary to popular belief: clever.)  Cutting green coconuts: wow, that sounds like a joy in itself.

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                  DrMark1961posted 9 years agoin reply to this

                  Thanks. I love your avatar. I have Tegus, a type of lizard that lives here in Brasil. This is my oldest male.
                  (My photo would not upload. Sorry.)

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                     Popitposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                     Thank you.  My avatar is the lizard who lives outside my kitchen window,

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               colorfuloneposted 9 years agoin reply to this

               DrMark, I had to look up Guinea Fowl. They are cool looking birds.
               
               I get a kick out of the Ruffed Grouse that live on the property. They come running or flying out of the woods to eat seeds, corn and bread that I toss out for them. I call them our wild chickens.  I love wild game (yum), but these ones were born and raised here in the wild..

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                  DrMark1961posted 9 years agoin reply to this

                  Thanks I tried to attach a cool picture of one of my Guinea adolescents with one of my free range rabbits. Unfortunately, my internet connection is really slow and I can not upload anything! The photo is available on my hub on free range rabbits if you want to take a look at them. A lot of people think they are ugly, but to me they are so ugly they are cute!
                  Hunting around here is a lot different than other parts of the world. Some of the folks out in the country still hunt spider monkeys and one of my clients recently rescued a young monkey whose mom had been shot. I have LOTS of great photos of him, but cannot upload anything!!!!!

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                     Popitposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                     I think your Guinea fowl are cute!  The ones raised hear are very noisy so there are restrictions on where you can keep them, otherwise we'd have them like a shot.  (Great hub by the way, your free range rabbits look fantastic.)

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      gmwilliamsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      My joy is my computer where I can write and create, my sketchings, my books(have TONS of them), my cds, and my home.  I am happy to be in a nice home when so many people are homeless.  I can eat at a lovely restaurant and do not have to worry if bills will be paid. I can buy nutritious foods.  I am comfortable.

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      chuckandus6posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      For me it would be a 75 degree day without any clouds in the sky and an Iced coffee.

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         Popitposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         

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   aprilsemoganposted 9 years ago

   I also love the moon Popit especially if its full moon. I love how it lights up the night sky and i always marvel on its eternal beauty. However, what really gives me joy is feeling the cool waters of the sea beneath my feet. I've always loved the serenity of being at the sea shore and adoring the beautiful sunset.

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      Popitposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      The sea shore, of course!  In the summer, when the days work is done, we go to the sea to swim and collect shells.  We swim and watch the sun dipping down into the sea, that really fills me with joy.  Scampering back over the sand dunes in the dark and trying to find the truck can sometimes be a bit of an adventure too.

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         aprilsemoganposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Yeah, it's really an adventure that's priceless. I wouldn't miss it for the world. How i wish i could be better swimmer though.

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         schoolgirlforrealposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         I love the beach too!

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   Snakesmumposted 9 years ago

   Lots of small things are a joy - going into my garden and seeing the little green spikes of the daffodil bulbs coming up,  holding my snakes and playing with them, the cat snuggling up to me, and my goldfish having babies.      So many things are great to see and do.........

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      Popitposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      You're right Snakesmum there are so many good things to enjoy.  When my seedlings begin to germinate, I get so excited.  It's what they're supposed to do but it gives me such pleasure to see them and a real sense of achievement.  It's one of my favorite times in the growing calendar, such optimism.  Then the slugs wolf most of them down. But the slugs feed the toads and they are a joy.  I have a huge female named Joyce, who lives in one of the greenhouses.  Because of her efforts, I get strawberries a month earlier.  Love strawberries!

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         Snakesmumposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Have never had toads in a greenhouse, but as a child, there were frogs in the water tank in one.   I spent hours watching them.   Slugs and snails are not really welcome in my garden. :-)   Birds are!

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   honeyreyesposted 9 years ago

   I also love the moon. Every night when the weather is fine here in my country (Philippines), I go out to watch the moon and the stars, they give me joy and give me hope that tomorrow might be a better day than today! Like others, rain give me joy too.
   I am into planting as my new hobby and seeing my seeds sprout gives me so much joy!
   I could list more and more! Life has many joys to offer.
   For someone who loves to eat, a good meal gives me such joy as much as the giggles, hugs and kisses of my toddler nephew and niece!

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      Popitposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Love your attitude, you are so right: life has many joys to offer.  I shall try to repeat this every day, I will be the better for it

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         honeyreyesposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         I also list 10 things I am grateful for when I wake up in the morning and read them again before i go to sleep. Sometimes I list things I WANT TO BE GRATEFUL in the future... this also gives me joy hoping one day they will come true! Try it, it's fun too!

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            Popitposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            I will try it, if nothing else it will help me focus on aims and goals

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   Irene Villaniposted 9 years ago

   Jackie chan movies on the sofa

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      Popitposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Pop corn with salted caramel!  Can't watch a movie without it

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   Sed-meposted 9 years ago

   I have 4 wonderful kids, and I love them all the same, but I have one kid that I have always called "my joy." I asked God to allow me either a career or a baby. He chose a baby. I wasn't the 20 y/o mom struggling to figure it all out this time. I was 31. I knew what to do... what was going to happen. I just enjoyed it all. He was and always has been SO sweet. I used to sing this song... "Momma/Sammy special time..." He would look up at me and know, even at 1 year old, that it was nap time and he would run to get in my bed on queue. He turned 16, yesterday, on Cinco de Mayo. He is still nothing but a joy. I thank God for him.

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7. 61

   Popitposted 9 years ago

   Now Sed-me, that's cheating,  your son is a massive joy, (he sounds lovely.)  We're talking about the little joys, that if you notice them; make life a little sweeter and makes you appreciate the world that little bit more.

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      Sed-meposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Sorry! I did it again. I just clicked on the last responder which skipped the first page entirely, so I didn't see the OP.
      
      So... a little joy? The Office. It makes me laugh continuously. No matter how many times I've seen it, I still laugh. I would have loved to have just been there watching while they were filming. If I had to choose another life, I would be Pam. Pam gets Jim and Jim is just another one of those little joys.

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         Popitposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         I can't watch the English version, Ricki Gervais reminds me too much of my old line manager.

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            Sed-meposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            I used to adore Ricky Gervais and all my British friends would tell me he was awful. I didn't believe them... until I started seeing some of his more "raw" comments. He's not a nice guy... and he's pretty attached to himself. Huge disappointment for me.

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   paradigm searchposted 9 years ago

   

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      Popitposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      

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   Lareeneposted 9 years ago

   Music is my joy.  Live concerts with the artist and music that I love is so sweet.  Listening to music at home, in the car and when working out is just the thing to relax, to inspire and to enjoy.

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      Popitposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Me too.  I go to the Fest Noz here whenever I can.  It's always up lifting.

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    lisavanvorstposted 9 years ago

    What brings me joy is to be grateful what I do have and not what I do not have or really want. I achieve this by looking at others who have far less. It could be money, love, friendships, family, job etc. Maybe I do not have all the things in life but I am grateful what I do have. Oh and my grand daughters bring me so much joy.

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       Popitposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Hi Lisa, what a great attitude to life!  This post is really in the spirit of the discussion, examining the little things that give joy and enhance each day.  All those little things build up into something much more significant. Contentment with what we have is possibly the one thing that people with everything don't have.  Striving for bigger and better isn't necessarily a bad thing, as long as you stop to appreciate what you already have, (and I'm not just talking about material things.)

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    Popitposted 9 years ago

    Except for pigeons!  I have a brightly colored windmill that keeps them off the veg patches.  Otherwise, they strip everything.  Worse still, my husband gives them all names.  The frogs, toads, salamanders, hedgehogs and slow worms do their best, along with the blackbirds but this time of year it's still slug city out there.  I put out beer traps, it kills them but at least they die happy.

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       Popitposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       The above post is for you Snakesmum, it has some how got detached from the thread.

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          Snakesmumposted 9 years agoin reply to this

          Thanks, Popit, I found it anyway!   Good luck with keeping the slug population down. :-)

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    DrMark1961posted 9 years ago

    
    
    This is that orphan Spider Monkey I mentioned in a previoius post (the photo uploaded today). He is a real joy.

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       Popitposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Oh he's beautiful!  If we lived in your area, the place would be more like a wild life park.  As it is, our waifs and strays are a little less exotic.  So far we have abandoned goats, a wild boar cross that was for the chop, and a puppy dumped on the doorstep.  The abandoned kitten bit the dust when she messed about with an adder.  But an orphaned spider monkey!  My husband would be in 7th heaven.  I think animals enhance our lives in so many ways.  The ones who have clear facial expressions are particularly satisfying.  No wonder you have so many 'Joys'.

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          DrMark1961posted 9 years agoin reply to this

          
          
          This is one of my parrots. He does not like dogs, monkeys, the poultry that runs around my yard, not even the other parrot that lives right next to him.
          Sometimes joy comes in little packages. Alone.

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             Popitposted 9 years agoin reply to this

             He's lovely!  Why would he need anyone else, when he'd got you?

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                Popitposted 9 years agoin reply to this

                
                
                Here's one of my larger joys - Mrs Tickle.  She's a Large Black crossed with a wild boar, after her mum had a gentleman caller one October night.  I love giving her a shower when it's hot, she so funny.  Unfortunately, she's huge and a little unpredictable so when we move her, it's a bit of a Jurassic Park moment.

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       colorfuloneposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       For cute. I had a friend many years ago who had a pet Spider Monkey. I wanted to hold it so much, but it was very shy of people it didn't see often enough.

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          DrMark1961posted 9 years agoin reply to this

          That happens a lot when they get older. The little guy in the photo is getting his adult teeth in and now bites anyone he does not know.

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    Chriswillman90posted 9 years ago

    I'd love to have a bird like that, it's amazing. As for the little joys, I would always enjoy taking a walk in the park during a dreary, autumnal day. It sounds a bit depressing but it's actually quite serene. The beach days are great too although I can't stand going to a packed beach, it's too much.

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    harnamsposted 9 years ago

    My simplest joy is cooking.  It relaxes me and allows my mind to deviate from the stress of a working day.  Obviously my wife does not complain, because it takes the responsibility of preparing a supper away from her.  But I must hand it to her, she's an excellent cook too but enjoys a different hand doing the cooking.  So I guess HER simple joy is having me cook dinner...

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       Popitposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       What a useful joy your's is!  My husband cooks for me too, once a week.  I always look forward to the meals he makes.  I'm afraid cooking for me is a chore.  Except for making bread, I love doing that.  Shame I can't eat it, I'm allergic to cereals.

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    Pawan Singh Negiposted 9 years ago

    Whatever you say and your crush enjoyed laughing at it

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       Popitposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       No, it;s true, I'm allergic to wheat, barley, rye etc.  I can only eat maize and rice and not much of either at any one time.  When I bake bread, I have to wear gloves and a mask.  My joy in baking has to be watching other people eat the results.  It's no joke being a carb free lizard you know

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    Popitposted 9 years ago

    
    
    Another small joy, sent by Mother Nature.  I found this Tawny Owl chick just outside the barn, it had obviously tumbled out of one of the high openings.  My husband risked life and limb to find the nest, assuming that there would be more chicks but there weren't.  So we made a new nest and popped the chick in and within minutes his mum was back with him.  She's been visiting him ever since, with mice and his eyes are now open.  My husband's called him Olly.  Here's hoping the little sweetie continues to thrive.  He's adorable.

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       DrMark1961posted 9 years agoin reply to this

       The last thing Olly would want is a hug from a human, but he looks sooo huggable! I never could have climbed up to find the nest, so your husband sounds really dedicated to helping wildlife. Great picture, thanks for sharing that.

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          Popitposted 9 years agoin reply to this

          He is and what's more, animals adore him.  I know what you mean about hugging Olly, we've really had to be disciplined about not handling so the photo will be the only one with hands in it.  We have to observe from a distance and Mark checks Olly's progress once a day, when we are sure that his mum is out hunting.  I'll be glad when he's big enough to view without climbing up an extended ladder!

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       colorfuloneposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       That is a cute little puffball.  Bravo, to your husband for the rescue so that the little one has a chance to survive.

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       Popitposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Olly update: his continuing to thrive and has upgraded his dinner to baby rabbits as well as up to six mice a day.  He now has colored feathers, big round eyes and a very sharp beak.  I wouldn't want to hold him now, he snaps his beak a lot, the little tinker.

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    Helen Auroraposted 9 years ago

    My joy... I'm a mom to be, even if there's a lot  of things that make me feel depressed all the time such as low economy status or my intend to survive in this new country, at the end of the day I'm happy because I have an unborn baby growing inside me, surprising me every day. By the way I love the moon.

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       Popitposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Helen, your child is a massive joy.  Nothing can  compare to the bond between a mother and her child, (unborn or otherwise.)  A child is one of the greatest blessings and challenge that nature can bring.  I wish you and your child health, wealth and happiness.  Do let me know when the little one is born. 

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    ladyoloveposted 9 years ago

    random acts of kindness. like when someone blocks traffic to hand the homeless some change.

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       Popitposted 9 years agoin reply to this

       Oh yes, they certainly lift my day.  They are a joy to see and a joy to do.  The trick when doing it yourself, (especially with the homeless,) is to not expect gratitude.  The homeless have their pride too.  I once presented a homeless man with a packet of ham sandwiches and a cup of coffee.  He ungraciously accepted them with; "Bloody ham, I don't like ham, I like cheese."  People around tutted but I was rather amused and said I would remember for next time.  After that, he always gave me a nod as I passed on my way to work, and when it was cold, he got his cheese sandwich and coffee.  (I should say here, that I'm not 'bigging' myself up, I regularly give to the homeless in the winter because I can't live with myself if I pass them  by without at least acknowledging them.  It makes me feel a bit better to give something when I have so much and they have nothing.  I know people think that the homeless actually live in mansions but I think you can never be sure.  So because I'm really giving out of a selfish need to feel better about myself, I'm always mindful of their dignity.)  However, when I see others doing it, it always makes my heart lift.

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          Castlepalomaposted 9 years agoin reply to this

          When animals, trees and the poor come to live again.
          
          It happens sometimes.

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          ladyoloveposted 9 years agoin reply to this

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZvYvOkqxA8
          
          Check that out and lets discuss

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             Castlepalomaposted 9 years agoin reply to this

             Most.of.those.rich.people.do.not.look.so.happy.

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    Popitposted 9 years ago

    
    
    For anyone who was interested in little Olly, the Tawny owl chick I found a couple of weeks ago after he tumbled out of his nest at the top of the barn, here's an update - he's fledged and hunting with his mum.  I cannot express the joy I felt when I discovered that he returns to the barn to sleep.

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