We’re a week into our large Summer Game here at Ann Arbor District Library (the library I work for) and it’s off to a great start!

It’s wonderful to see kiddos and adults alike who are excited and having fun; they’re just so joyful! 🙂 To me, the difference between being joyful and just being happy is how much it reflects in the eyes. A kiddo or an adult who’s having a fun time and is happy is still smiling and giggling/laughing, but it doesn’t always resonate in their eyes. When they’re joyful, it just lights up their whole face, including their eyes.

It’s not something I tend to see much during the school year. The school year is more seriousness and less joyful. But the minute school is out and the Summer Game starts (it starts the same day school lets out usually), the serious faces melt into joyful ones and it’s lovely to see.

While I love the Summer Game, I’ve found that I’m not quite as gung-ho about feeling like I must have all the points and be at the top of the leaderboard as I used to be. I found that being that driven took some of the fun out of it for me. Since above all, the Summer Game is supposed to be fun, I’ve scaled back my competitiveness to make it more fun for me.

I was working in the youth department this evening and it was fun to see all the kiddos that came through looking for the codes that are in the building (see my previous post about Summer Game for more explanation of codes and points). I was also thrilled to be able to help a mom encourage her children to read by letting her know that every minute they spend reading, they can enter those minutes they’ve recorded into the Summer Game system and they get 1 point per minute and an extra 100 points for finishing a book! It made me want to share the joy and happiness with all of my readers.

It reminded me how lovely the little things are and how much joy they can contribute to our lives. I had opportunities to snuggle with my adorable niece and sweet nephew individually today before work and it was just lovely. It made some of the not-so-great parts of today’s work day less annoying and easier to deal with. 🙂 Those little munchkins are part of the joy in my life and I’m grateful to have them and grateful they live nearby.

What are the little things in your life that bring you joy?