Today’s Bloganuary prompt is

What brings me joy in life?

Presents! 

I love receiving presents. They don’t have to be worth more than a nickel. It isn’t the value of the present that matters, it’s the surprise and anticipation and excitement of receiving something from someone. Sticky notes? Yep, I got excited about receiving colorful sticky notes this Christmas.

Flowers!

 The sight of flowers “makes my eyes melt”. I feel all warm and peaceful when I look at flowers – and they don’t even have to be real. Even paintings of flowers make me feel this way. 

Dogs, Puppies, Animals! 

My dogs make up a large part of the pieces of my heart. I get such a kick out of watching them do the silly little things they do, or having them cuddle all warm and snuggly up to my chest. I also routinely laugh and giggle and smile at the animal antics I see on the internet or in real life. Animals are fabulous.

Family, of course!

I adore my family, and seeing them live happy, productive, successful lives gives me immense joy. Seeing their faces when we get together makes me beam like a foglight busting through the grayness of life.

Other People’s Success!

I love love love seeing other people succeed. 

• Made a good grade? Woot! 
• Got a raise? Hell, yeah!
• Fell in love? Fantastic!
• Sold your first homemade craft? Fabulous!
• Learned a new skill? Congrats!

When they succeed, I feel their joy as if it were my own. And if I was able to help them achieve that success – even in a tiny way – I’m extra jazzed about that too. 

My Own Success!

Just as I adore seeing others succeed, I also get all excited when I succeed. 

• When I published my first novel.
• When I got offered a job at Automattic.
• When I bought my dream home.

There are lots of smaller successes, as well. Success doesn’t have to be big to be exciting.  For example, I found great joy when:

• I put together my own “furniture from a box” for the first time. 
• I cooked a damn good meal after years of being known as a terrible cook.
• I nailed an online video presentation in front of hundreds of people.
• I finished writing a children’s book in time to see the joy and excitement in my dying father-in-law’s face when he realized the main character (an egret) was named after him.

I’m sure there are lots of other things that bring me joy, but those stand out in my mind as the biggest. What brings you joy?

This post is part of the WordPress Bloganuary Challenge for 2023, where everyone participating is provided a writing prompt each day. Today’s prompt was to write about what brings me joy.