Ode To Joy

"If you're troubled by the world around you, the most powerful thing you can do is to change yourself. Instead of buying into the world's troubles, give the world your own authentic joy."

Isn't that a lovely quote? I found it in my Facebook feed this morning, and have been thinking about it all day. I don't have any profound words or particularly poignant images to express this sentiment, but here I offer you the joys of my day.

Saw these beautiful produce displays at Whole Foods today, where I also encountered an adorable baby. She was maybe 5 or 6 months old, resting happily in her seat on the grocery cart while her grandmother checked out ahead of me. We made eye contact, this darling little creature and I, and I did what comes naturally..I smiled at her. Lo and behold, the heavens opened, the angels sang, and that little girl's face burst into glory with a smile for the ages. Delighted, I did the next thing that came naturally..I smiled back even bigger. She squealed, beamed with happiness, and kicked her feet with pure pleasure. 

That sweet baby brought me joy.

Ranger and I went for our usual walk on this sunny and warm late summer/early fall day. We were crossing the busiest intersection on our route, full of traffic at the end of the work day, when we both pricked up our ears at the sound of a dog barking in our direction. I saw a small husky-ish dog with his head stuck out the window of a silver blue Audi at the front of a long line of cars. He was looking in our direction and quivering with excitement. 

As Ranger and I stepped up onto the sidewalk, suddenly it was too much for our newest friend. With a single bound, little husky dog leaped from his car and pranced right over to see us. Ranger was dumbfounded by this quick turn of events, but very happy to say hi. I quickly grabbed the dog's collar, and turned around to find that his owner, a college-age young man, had slammed his car into park, and jumped out to get his dog. He really didn't have any other options, but honestly, it was pretty hilarious to see him march across the street, scoop up his dog and carry him back to the car while probably 20 other drivers looked on.

That impetuous, friendly dog brought me joy. 

There have been four peaches sitting in my fruit bowl for the past few days. This is unusual; peaches rarely last long around here. Sadly, they are late-season peaches; past the peak of deliciousness, these are the mealy, tough, flavorless types that signal the waning days of summer. Sad.

As I was searching around for a snack, I noticed we were down to just one last peach. So, as a matter of mercy, I decided to put it out of its misery, my last peach of the summer. I cut it in half and bit in, expecting to be thoroughly underwhelmed. 

To my surprise and delight, it was a glorious, rich, firm, juicy, perfect peach!

That unexpectedly delicious taste of summer brought me joy.

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So there you have it. A friendly baby, a naughty dog and a piece of fruit may not overcome the troubles of the world, but for today, they are my ode to joy.

P.S. Watch this. It will bring you joy. I promise.

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More stories about Ranger's friendly ways:

Ranger Makes A Friend

Buppable Ranger

Ranger And The Strangers
Celebrity Is As Celebrity Does