the week in joy

in abundance

I didn’t do the column yesterday because I was busy being joyful, but I think I’m going to do them on Mondays anyhow so I can include Sunday because it is my stubborn belief that the week goes Monday - Sunday, not Sunday - Saturday. Let’s get to it.

I love the idea of pools, I just don’t love actually getting into them. I don’t particularly care for being in wet clothing, and I don’t like how long it takes me to get myself all the way into the pool. I find going swimming more of a hassle than anything else.

My parents have a lovely pool in their yard and I never take advantage of it. Last year I broke down and bought a bathing suit, but it didn’t fit me well and I looked and felt awful in it so I just gave up. Well, it was pretty darn hot out yesterday and for some reason the idea of going in the pool struck me as something I might want to do. So I took out last year’s bathing suit and was delighted to discover that it not only fits me so much better, but I look pretty good in it! With that portion of my reason to not go in the pool gone, I hiked across the street to my parents’ house in my bathing suit. It took me about fifteen minutes to actually get all the way in, but damn was that refreshing and energizing. Most of all, it helped me decompress after a day of watching CNN feeling anxious about the state of things. Glad I did it and I will probably do it again today,

When I went to visit my friend Jessica last week, she showed me her enormous comic collection. I was in awe of what she had - spanned across two rooms of shelving - and marveled at some of the titles. But when she brought out the Archie collections, I was in heaven.

I grew up on Archie comics. They sold them at the stationery store near my grammar school. Once a week I’d go in with a quarter and come out with two Archie comics and a piece of Bazooka gum. I would take the comics into my room, pop the gum in my mouth, and shut out the rest of the world while I visited my friends in Riverdale. God, how I loved these characters, how I was engrossed in their lives. I thumbed through this book of Jessica’s and was hit with a wave of nostalgia. I knew I had to have my own copy. I read a page here and there and the joy I feel at watching Archie and Betty and Jughead’s lives unfold in front of me can not be overstated.

My Archie fan credentials:

Sometimes joys are very simple. I have been eating healthy for about six months ow, and occasionally I will treat myself to something out of the ordinary. I don’t know if it was that I had not had a cheeseburger or fries in ages, or just caught the cook on a great day, but this was the best burger I’ve had in *years* if I’m honest. God bless Long Island diners (which I’ve written about before).

I know I have already bragged about my hydrangeas, but I want you to see them again because look at this bush! Look at it! The colors are gorgeous, the flowers are plentiful and large, and it’s just the most joyful thing in my life right now.

I am going to be vague for a moment, but my faith in humanity was briefly restored last week when a virtual stranger reached out and made my life better in an instant.

I hope your week was as joyful as mine, and I do hope you take the time to count your joys. Because we are in an upheaval right now, and any little joy, whether it be a comic book or a hamburger, is both necessary and fleeting, so grab them while you can.