June 19, 2024 “They say, ‘money can’t buy you happiness,’” I told my friend. “But it’s ridiculous how much joy I’m getting from two purchases that totaled $20 – and that’s for both of them, not $20 each.” I was so excited about these items that I showed one or both to over a dozen friends and family members. The first purchase was a vinyl decal I bought to cover a brand logo on my favorite water bottle. The text on the decal says, “when life is a dumpster fire, be a dumpster phoenix,” and it has an image of exactly that – that mythical flaming bird flying out of a dumpster fire. I purchased it from the artist who created the image via Etsy. The second purchase was a purple cane I’ll need after an upcoming medical procedure. I own a cane already, but it’s a boring, black cane. Boring isn’t my style. It excited me because the color is a darker, prettier purple than it appeared in the photo included in the online listing, and purple is my favorite color. When I talk about either item, I get excited, almost giddy. My friends’ reactions to my excitement varied, but most people said something like, “you’re so weird” or “simple strokes for simple folks.” At the end of the week, after sending a picture of the cane to my mom, who also loves purple, it struck me that my joy is a beautiful gift from God. While I take a lot of joy from the big life moments, like my son, Jake, winning a significant award this week, those big moments tend to be few and far between. Because God gifted me with this ability to find a pile of joy in seemingly little things, I spend a relatively high percentage of my life joyful, and I’m so grateful for that. Also, when I show others my excitement over small things, those people generally laugh or at least smile. I get to share the joy God gives me. While money brought those two items to my doorstep, it was God who gifted me with this ability to find absurd joy in the smallest things. You can’t put a price on that. |
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