What gives you joy right now?

cllinda

Between cancer and the pandemic, the future can look pretty bleak. What gives you joy during this rough season of unknowns?
Mine is knitting and having Face Time with the grandkids. What's yours?

LiveWithCancer

There are so many things that give me joy - waking up in the morning, my pets, especially my dogs, spending hours in Bible study, talking on the phone with friends (this from someone who really hates talking on the phone), working with essential oils - learning more and more and making lots of neat products, the flowers out in the yard, the raindrops and then the sunshine, the smell of the grass being cut, a great meal ... the list is almost endless, really. My joy starts with my faith and all that entails and is rounded out, for sure, by my family (including those with 4 legs) and friends.

po18guy

Joy? First, my faith is one primarily of joy. Also, knowing that each morning is a blessing; that I am loved and capable of love (working on that!); that I have hope for a future beyond this life; that there is a reason for everything - it is just that we do not know it at this point. Many other things, but I ramble...

andreacha

LiveWithCancer - You truly are an inspiration.

cllinda - Not being able to go anywhere because of safety is scary and for me very depressing. Even if given the opportunity I wouldn't want to go. There are too many people who are not taking this pandemic seriously. It is supposed to rain for the next 4 days. When the sun shines next my son-in-law is going to take me to Lowes's to their outdoor garden center. If it's too busy I'll just come back home. I desperately need plants for my pots. I have some big ones and I plan to buy perennials so I don't have to go through this again. He and my daughter are both very much into disinfecting that they do it to their vehicles every day so I feel relatively safe going with him. Getting those planted will boost my mood for a while. My yard man is going to do some sprucing up projects for me so the property looks better. I hate having an unkempt lawn area. I could do some projects around the house but I just don't have the oomph to do anything. I think this is the time that I need the proverbial stick of dynamite! I have 4 cats that rely upon me so I consider that a Godsend. I pray that our community stays safe and well until this Covid19 can be contained and treated.

centered1

po18guy, I'm with you and LiveWithCancer. My total hope through everything is in God. My family is a great joy for me. Working in the garden..flowers and veggies, with my hubbie. friends and pets of course. But everything, including my next breath, is a blessing. My quiet time alone with Him assures me that I am in a win-win situation. If I stay, good! If it's my time to go, I will be in a much better place! My heart and prayers are constantly for those in so much worse condition physically and financially than I. And there are so many. I pray for the country my grandchildren and great-grandchildren are going to inherit. I pray mostly for those without hope...and therefore have no peace. God bless us all. This too shall pass.

Tricia2020

I also find that there are too many things to list that give me joy. It's everything big and small. Family (human and furry), friends. Colors are more vivid, food tastes better (when I can eat).

Even though it's a scary time with COVID-19, I'm happy to shelter-in-place where I am safe. I'm thankful to still have a job in which I can work from home and focus on getting well. I also have the time to do some things that gave me joy in the past, like play the piano, read, and learn about new things like nutrition and how to heal through food (right now I'm learning about smoothies - yum!).

I'm also thankful for my doctors and nurses at the Women's Cancer Center of the East Bay - I think I'll bake them some lemon bars (vitamin C). It will give me joy to put a smile on their faces... : )

legaljen1969

As many of you know, I have had a hard time focusing on things that bring me joy lately. But there really are many things that bring me joy.
One of the big ones lately has been expressing gratitude and randomly gifting some of my healthcare providers with little tokens to express my appreciation. I love being able to do things for others to make them feel better. For those familiar with the "Five Love Languages" my primary receiving Love Language is "Words of Affirmation." It is one that most other people do not care to give. They believe it is "fishing for compliments" or an obsessive need for attention. Maybe it is. But a word of affirmation or kindness goes a long way. I try to give that to others as well.
I sent an email to my nurse navigator the other day telling her I didn't need anything from her but I just wanted to let her know how much I appreciated her guidance as I have been working through all of this. She called me and told me how much it meant to her that I cared enough to take time to write to her.
I got an "8th grade graduation" pandemic t-shirt for my surgeon's nurse's daughter. We were talking about how sad she was to be missing the rest of her 8th grade year. A friend's daughter had a similar tee- so I got her to get me one. My darling nurse was so sweet when she called me to say thank you. She said her daughter was so excited, that she couldn't believe one of her mother's patients would do something for HER. LOL

I love listening to praise music as well. That brings me LOTS of joy.

ChicagoSandy

That I am (so far) healthy; made it to this age; am on Medicare with a great supplement; have room in my home and outdoors to move about; that I have a loving hardworking husband who is doing his best to be supportive even as he goes into the fray every day and risks his health; that I have a housekeeper who returned today after 2 months because her husband has been confirmed finally coronavirus-neg. (and he never did get COVID); my little kitties who, while they can be finicky & messy, are adorable, fiercely loyal and affectionate; that I can FaceTime with my son across town, BFFs one neighborhood north, and my sister & niece back East; that I can make music--if only for myself; that my temple does great online worship services; that we have enough coming in and saved up to survive the economic disaster (and help our son if his employer goes under); and that we want for neither food, clean water, nor toilet paper!

ChicagoSandy

That should I need something that can't be delivered, the pharmacy & Whole Foods are just around the block. And that I have enough minor crises (power to the garage door intermittently shorting out, cable TiVO going down, basement that is only slightly flood-prone--thank you, sump pump!, cats occasionally urping up hairballs, etc.) to distract me and keep the boredom at bay.

fiddler

My garden.

I planted a shit-load of goodies in the last 2 weeks. When we moved in the back yard was a patch of grass and a horseshoe area. Now it's beautiful. My babies.

Hopefully in 10 years I will have witnessed everything as young adults. Can't wait!

ChildOfGod4570

For me, it's Bible studies and prayer meetings over the phone or Zoom, crafting, audio editing projects, Christian radio, my kitty cat who loves to crawl into bed with me, my friends and family, and above all, God!!! HUGS and God bless.

cllinda

We lucked out and did a Social distancing on Saturday. The kids and grandkids came over and it was so awesome to see them after two entire months.

ChicagoSandy

June 1, our state will allow gatherings--indoor or outdoor--of <10 people, social-distanced (and masked indoors). I'm hoping to see my son and his girlfriend, and my BFFs.

petieagnor

Joy? I really had to think about this one. My joy is a little more toward the grateful side. Today, the hot water heater sprang a leak. I was proud that I was able to turn off the water, drain the tank, then call the plumber. Joy that while cleaning out the garage last week after 15 yrs, I had found the hose that my husband had no clue what it was for. Joy that I'm feeling well enough after 4 years of chemo to get some maintenance done.