Joy List update

This is the May joy list update. Some successes and some non- successes. Such is life.

1.  Expand my horizons
     a. read 4 books (1 from a different genre. History perhaps?) Bastard Out of Carolina (painful to read but very good), Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie She's Dead,  Children of Nazis, Another one I forgot and have already deleted from my Ipad
     b. read articles from 4 magazines I do not normally read. Done. Read articles in Afar, Backpacker, Dwell, and Midwest Living. Before Texture I had no idea these existed!
     c. listen to that opera I keep skipping yes i did skip it again
     d. listen to a Ted talk each week I have heard some really great ones about: Alzheimers, How to Tell a Story, Critical Thinking,  Habits of Original Thinkers, Narcissism in the Workplace
     e. try a new beverage weekly tried 2 but also had an unusual Bloody Mary that I am calling a new drink also.
     f. try a new food weekly tried many new things this month
2.  Quit being so tragically unhip and explore instagram tragically unhip and evidently uninterested
3.  Find a podcast to listen to regularly Thanks DIL! "Watch What Crappens" is my new favorite guilty pleasure 
4.  Visit Vulcan and take a photo of his bare butt Nope
5.  Finish planting everything Nope
6.  Visit family members I haven't seen in a while. Done. Had SIL, Niece and Great Nephew to spend the weekend with us. The following week My uncle and cousin came for the night.
7.  Have a small dinner party Done, done again and done another time just because.
8.  Have neighbors over for drinks and/or dessert Undone
9.  Take flowers to someone Done
10. Listen with full attention Sometimes and sometimes not so much
11. Take food to someone having a hard time Done
12. Learn a new song for the piano Done
13. Have an at home theme meal Does a Memorial Day BBQ  theme meal count?
14. Volunteer Yes! I forgot how much I love doing it!
15. Paint, draw or sketch with charcoal Had a great finger paint day with niece's 5 year old son, plus I have been having a lot fo fun with charcoal
16. Take a seriously old clothing item and remake it into something "new"nope
17. Try an unnatural hair color this month not
18. Swim No but the pool water is ready
19. Send sympathy and thinking of you cards as situations dictate Done but need about 4 more thinking of you cards.
20. FaceTime 5 times with the most beautiful girl in my tribe Yes and love every single second of it
21. Go to a movie by myself (popcorn optional)  Nope
22. Reconnect with someone who has been out of touch Nope
23. Forgive everything that needs forgiven Yes
24. Apologize and ask forgiveness as needed  I think I have, but there might be something I did unintentionally     
25. Read a psalm each day (King James Version because the language is so beautiful) Slacker
26. Have the first cup on coffee on the screened porch as much as possible Most days!
27. Try to get more sleep (Note to self: Go to bed by midnight) I just suck at this. I love late, late night
28. Have a few hours each week for some self pampering Did not carve time out for this
29. Have Mom up to eat, weekly Had her up 3 times
30. Take Mom to visit some of her friends Done more than once
31. Practice patience with Mom. This is dicy. Some days I am seriously patient and other days not at all.
32. Visit a small town near me No
33. Start exploring restaurants from one of 2 lists: the best restaurant in each county or the 100 best          dishes in Alabama  Started with 100 best dishes since many of them are local hope to begin a best restaurant from each county tour soon soon. (BTW The best restaurant in my county was just awarded the James Beard Best Restaurant in the Country Award. We go there a couple of times a year but reservations currently are almost impossible to get unless you are willing to take a 10 pm seating)
34. Be kind I almost always am                 
35. Do something for someone, expect nothing in return (anonymous is best) Done, but not anonymous
36. Learn a new craft Nope
37. Eat something chocolate every week I am so good at this
38. Keep a list of everyday unexpected joys I am so bad at this
39. Tell my closest friends how much I appreciate them Some of them
40. Marvel at a glorious sunrise 5:37 am  watching the lake turn from silver to light light pink, to red, then orange and finally gold.
41. Enjoy the quiet beauty of a moon rise Done and it was breathtakingly beautiful
42. Be grateful for huge sky expanses both at home and at the lake. Both expanses are stellar (literally) at night. 
43. Practice gratitude Trying
44. Write stories for Pip Have begun a couple but I am still editing and rewriting them

I have a frantic June so I am abandoning the written joy list. I am just going to experience all the joys I can while hanging on to the knot at the end of this rope I am calling June!