You know those little seedlings that propel through the breeze,
just in time to land in your landscaping,
catch those early spring showers and sunshiny days,
then pop-up in sprouts all around your manicured yard?
You know what I’m talking about?
I love those things!

I think it’s an oak tree in our front yard that generously disperses these helicopter seeds this time every year.  As a kid, I felt like I’d made a grand discovery: tossing each seedling up, and watching it slowly float to the ground like a helicopter!  Even better, I’d pick up a handful, and watch a team spin together!  And now, not much as changed since then.  I still get a thrill from  sitting in the yard, picking seedlings, tossing them up, and watching them spin, spin, spin.

The helicopter seeds, straight from trees, without needing anything added or taken away, are nature’s simple, little flying toys.

It’s a good thing that I like them enough to not be bothered too much about pulling extra weeds mid-spring!

joy:  Maybe my thrill in helicopter seeds has stuck around all this time, OR maybe a little someone has inspired me to see the world through the eyes of a child!

Out of the 5 senses, what is your favorite?
Hearing, tasting, seeing, smelling, or touching?

My favorite of the 5 senses is seeing!
I love colors and scenery,
expressions and body language,
photographed images and printed words,
lines and edges.
I love spatially arranging and organizing.
I’m especially thankful for my sense of sight!

It’s too bad that many of us have vision impairments.  But as long as we have access to doctors and technology, we’re not left in the dark!
Today I’m thinking about how joyful I am about my contact lenses!

These tiny, almost-invisible disks touch my eyes and make the difference between seeing blurs of colors and seeing clear, crisp images.

I think it’s quite amazing when I ponder how scientists use technology to take a little synthetic material, shape it just right for specific prescriptions, and “tah-dah”!  Clear vision!

Eye glasses are very impressive, too.  But contacts are a daily part of my life.

I first got glasses in the 6th grade, and was shocked to realize, “Everyone else CAN read the board in class.  It really WAS just me!”
But since I made the basketball team that year, I quickly transitioned into contacts.
What started out as an awkward way to begin each day, practically poking my eyes with my fingers every morning, soon became customary.
And now, contacts have literally become part of my face because glasses have never been comfortable to me.

Even at the age of 28, my prescription changes with each visit to the optometrist.
But I was actually thankful that my vision got worse by my last appointment!
A couple of years ago, I began developing astigmatism.
I was able to get glasses lens that helped to correct the problem, but I couldn’t get the special contacts until the astigmatism got worse.
Although it has been bad enough to prevent me from reading road signs clearly, seeing well at night, and seeing speakers at big events,
I still didn’t qualify for them until my latest appointment.
So you can probably imagine how much I’m enjoying my newest set of contacts that treat astigmatism!

CLARITY!!!

Even though I often get annoyed that I have to take them out and wash them each night, I’m really more grateful than anything, that I’m not left in my blurriness!

joy:  Without surgery or even glasses, I can see the beautiful world around me!

Chacos first entered my world in the summer of 2003.  I was preparing to be a camp counselor, and it seemed like the perfect shoe for a person like me who loves to hike, but avoids wearing socks & tennis shoes at all costs.

I was right, they were the perfect shoes for me!  For the past 9 years, I’ve worn them as much as possible.  And once I heard about ReChaco- a group that repairs used Chacos, I knew that my pair wanted to take a vacation!  Last week, I sent these in.  And a couple days later, I got a call saying that they were too worn out to be repaired!  I didn’t even think that was possible!

Therefore, I did the only thing that I could to resolve my little problem.  I bought a new pair!

Now I’m ready to wear my new Chacos everyday from now until the first day of winter!

I love having the comfort of a tennis shoe with the freedom of sandals!
I love slipping my feet into the straps and being ready for a walk through the neighborhood, a hike in the woods, or anything else for that matter.
I love the strap around my big toe, the zig-zap over my foot, the strap around my heel, and the easy-to-pull harness.
They all keep the durable sandal comfy, snug, and secure!
And I think that it’s pretty amazing that it’s only one strap that’s woven through the soul!
I will say, it takes a few days to “break them in”.  Actually it’s the feet that have to get adjusted.  When I start with a new pair, my feet get a couple sore spots, until they toughen up a bit.  But it’s definitely worth it!

I love wearing my Chacos!  I get that bubbly joyful feeling when I put them on, or look down during the day to see them strapped on my feet!

joy: Starting in April, these will be my designated “3rd trimester shoes”!

Part of my purpose here on Counting Joys is to appreciate little things that easily go unnoticed or have become an ordinary, boring part of life.  

So I’m starting this series on Fridays to spotlight some of my favorite things!  

Whether the things are tangible or intangible, this isn’t about materialism.  

This is about honoring the Creator and the Source of great ideas and resources!  I know that the Lord my God is the most brilliant designer and must have imparted His wisdom and creativity to the inventors of these things that I have in mind.  And this first “little thing” can only exist because of the way that the Lord created the solar system, which gives us time, days, weeks, months, and years.   

This is the perfect day to begin sharing with one of my all-time favorite things:
FRIDAYS!!!!!

Part-weekday, part-weekend.
When I was a student, it was the easiest day of the week.  Extra long recess.  Less homework.
As a teacher, it was pretty much the same thing.
And we all knew that when the minute hand turned to 3:00pm, the weekend had officially begun!
In some ways, that made Fridays even more exciting than Saturdays.
It’s like watching the ball drop at 11:59pm on December 31, celebrating the inauguration of a new year!
We can count down to cheer on the beginning of the weekend each Friday, before the sun even goes down!

Even as the stay-at-home-mom that I am now, there’s a bubbly feeling that I get when I wake up on Friday mornings!
Weekend plans will be on my mind.  (And if you know me, you know that I love planning!)
I know that I won’t be cooking dinner that night because we’ll pick up pizza or Mexican food.
My Hero and I will deny the fact that we’ve never been night owls, and we’ll start a movie at 9:30,
only to fall asleep about 12 minutes into it.
And as we wake up at the credits to drag ourselves to bed, I’ll know that we’ll get to see each other as much as we want to over the next couple of days!

joy: That feeling of freedom and excitement that comes just from being a certain day of the week.