what gives you joy?

An ongoing list...in no particular order

- my family: mom, dad, grandparents, 3 brothers, 3 sisters-in-law, and 2 nephews
adoptive families (you know who you are!)
- warm sunlight on my face
- being in the water
- pristine white sand beaches (especially in the Philippines!)
- sand between my toes
- a child's hearty giggle
- childhood memories of home
- family dinners in our crowded dining room table
- conversations that last for hours
- my nephews, Martin and Lorenzo, and future nephews and nieces - (hint, hint!)
- childhood friends and new friends
- being in nature
- an "AHA!" moment
- having coffee and endless conversations with an old friend
- bumping into a long-lost friend
- travelling
- getting lost and stumbling upon an interesting place
- capturing a moment in a photograph
- dark chocolate
- coffee
- quirky coffee shops
- tea houses, especially this one that sells a loose green tea called "Sunburst" - what a joyful name!
- reading old letters
- lazy afternoons
- music for yoga
- getting lost in a good book
- finding how you "click" with a person you just met
- the smell of my mom's hot Spanish chocolate while it's simmering on the stove
- crying during a movie (or even a TV ad)
- a clear blue sky
- pretty clouds
- a school of fish underwater
- sunrises and sunsets
- fall colors
- the perfect symmetry of a snowflake
- the indescribable green of baby leaves in the spring
- creating a new dish by playing around in the kitchen
- doing sirsasana (headstand) for the first time
- the blissful savasana at the end of a yoga practice
- having wine and candles at dinner, even if on my own
- taking a nap in a hammock
- laying on the grass
- playing with kids
- yellow labs and golden retrievers
- my job (yes, really!)
- belly laughs
- farmers' markets
- pleasant surprises
- dancing
- spontaneity
- weekend trips
- leisurely Sunday brunch
- morning sunshine
- a mind-emptying, meditative swim
- children's books
- doing something for the first time
- inspirational reading
- dreams
- fulfilling a dream
- dreaming some more