What Gives You Real Joy?

What gives you real joy?

And I don’t mean trivial things like the new pair of shoes you just bought or the great new app for your iPhone—I mean, what gives you real down-to-the-depths-of-your-soul joy? 

The best part of any day can often be the most insignificant, when something ordinary happens and you’re forced to stop for a moment and think about what’s truly important in life.

I was driving home a couple of days ago and just ahead of me a ball bounced out into the middle of the street. The two cars in front of me kept going but I stopped and let the boy who was waiting cross and pick up the ball. He smiled and waved, showing his appreciation and then after looking both ways, crossed the street and returned to his game.

This is just the kind of ordinary moment I was referring to and you might be wondering what’s so special about a kid with a ball. Well, it’s simple—in a world filled with unemployment, wars, financial loss, uncertainty, etc., it’s good to see there is hope for a better future.  The simple act of waiting for the boy while all the other jackasses whizzed by made me feel good, and his nod of appreciation gave me real joy. Even the smallest amount of kindness and respect for others can do that. Furthermore, it made me think that maybe my gesture would be remembered by the boy, and possibly someday when he’s driving home from work he’ll do the same for someone else.

It’s amazing, with all that we are blessed with in life—and we are all blessed in one way or another, how quickly we can forget the golden rule—and that is to treat others as we want to be treated.  In a perfect world, the golden rule would rule—we would treat each other with respect, patience, appreciation, and kindness.  And in doing so, we would be setting an example for our children and they would grow up and carry on the same level of civility.

So this is just one example of what gives me real joy—doing a good deed and receiving appreciation in return.

What’s your story? What gives you real joy?