What does joy sound like?
Maybe it sounds like the pitter patter of little feet as they play.
In our house, they are canine feet, but I love them oh so much and adore the sound of them as we all play together!
Maybe joy sounds like laughter.
I always say that laughter is the reward for the hard work of parenting! And one of the things I most love about my hubby is that he has a wonderful sense of humor and can often make me laugh when I am feeling low or even when I am frustrated with him.
Perhaps joy sounds like silence:
the silence that comes when everyone else is asleep and you get a few minutes to yourself!
Maybe joy is the sound of our favorite story
AGAIN! It might be repetitious now, but I know you will miss it later.
One of my personal favorite sounds is the sound of our door opening when one of us comes home,
anticipating the warm hugs and kisses that let me know that I am special and missed when we are apart. (This is a lot more true now that we have been practicing Gottman strategies for a while.)
Many of the things that bring me joy involve music in the background
such as Dance Dance Revolution (see last week’s blog post), ice skating, or tinkering on the piano. I remember a lot of dancing with my friends as a child. We danced to so much great music - Jim Croce with one friend, Michael Jackson with another, and Barbra Streisand at my grandparents’ house.
The challenge this week is to think about what sounds bring us joy. Then we can be thankful for those sounds, and we can consider ways to bring more of them into our lives.
P.S. The sound of joy was heard this week when I shouted “woo hoo” upon passing my certification exam for Happiest Baby on the Block! I’m looking forward to helping new parents to calm their crying babies!
For more information about the “Focus on the Joy” Challenge, check out the original blog post here.
