joy: week 9

seeing things through

First, Happy Father’s Day to all who are being celebrated today. You are appreciated.

Let’s get right to it, shall we?

A goal completed

Reading used to be one of my greatest joys. Sometime between the start of the pandemic and my divorce, I lost my ability to concentrate on a book. I kept trying, starting book after book, and never making it more than ten pages. So when I picked this one up, I didn’t have high hopes. Next thing I knew I was fifty pages in and I didn’t want to put it down. It’s a fantastic oral history of the emo scene from 1999-2008, a subject I am very interested in. Finishing a book feels like a really significant thing right now. When I hit the last page, I smiled. I read with joy once again (the author is Chris Payne).

New Music

My favorite band, Queens of the Stone Age, released a new album on Friday and it’s damn good. This is their eighth album and right now I’d rank it sixth, but I need to spend some more time with it, which I will do when my vinyl copy gets here Tuesday.

Back to work

Now, you may be thinking how is going back to work a joy? Well, when you’ve been out on sick leave for over two months and were either in the hospital or on the couch the whole time, going back to work feels like a triumph. I am 90% recovered from the surgery, I feel better physically than I have in months. Getting back into a routine will go a long way towards making me feel better mentally.

The weather

We had ourselves a proper spring, and I don’t think that’s happened in ages. For it to be in the 70s this late in June is not usual. Because 70s is my favorite weather, I am in my glory. I am off Monday and I’m going to sit outside and tackle another book.

That’s it for this week. Hope you found some joys in your lives this past week, feel free to tell us about them!