Ordinary Joy

What could beat a crinkly newspaper for fun?

                One lesson the cats have taught me is to take pleasure in life's simple things, and when it comes to finding joy in the ordinary, Finnegan is the first to come to mind.

                Finny loves things that sound crinkly.  It makes his day when a student leaves a coat or bag on the floor where he can spend the whole piano lesson pawing at it just to make noise.  

                Even better is when he finds a newspaper to walk on.  It’s loudest when someone holds it up while he’s attacking, but it is still good and noisy if it’s just sitting there as he scatters papers across the room.

                We are surrounded by things-–simple, ordinary things—that can enrich and entertain us. Maybe it’s time to open our eyes to the possibilities around us. (Crashing through the newspaper your spouse is reading is probably going to cause as much displeasure on his or her part as pleasure on the yours, so don’t take the Finny example literally.)  

                Remember spending evenings playing games or reading books, tinkering with models, conversing one-on-one, shooting hoops, exploring the great outdoors, or drawing pictures?  These things aren’t just for kids and don’t require getting a lot of new, exciting equipment.   Crinkly stuff is probably not your thing, so you might have to break out your imagination to find the right activity, but for those who search, there is joy in ordinary things.