Joy

It took me a long time to find joy.

And now I find that it's the simple things--a scented candle, a hot cup of coffee, a good book, a certain slant of sunlight--that inspire my happiness. It also comes from giving to others--finding that perfect book for a second grader who is so overwhelmed with happiness she can't speak, cracking a joke with an elderly man at the copy machine, making myself count backwards when helping a difficult patron, knowing everyone has their pain and their heartbreak and their own ways of dealing with it all. I do believe in karma.

With my little family--my husband, my cats and my dog--and in my little red brick house is usually where I want to be most. Up until a few years ago, I'd be hard pressed to tell you what I found uplifting. Now the easiest way for me to describe joy is to look at Cassie when she's running--her pure, unbounded enthusiasm at just being alive and able to race all over the earth.

Having a dog has taught me many things, such as, a little mud isn't gonna kill me. It's also taught me to love my family with all my heart, to relish my meals with every ounce of my soul, to fiercely protect my pack but to meet new friends with openness, to fling decorum to the wind when I sleep, to treat each day as an adventure. And to really, really love exercise.