Ideally, every day would be a good day. But everyone knows we don't live in a world like that. Some days just aren't good, at least they don't seem to be in the moment. They have their sadnesses or their confusions or their annoyances, and no matter how hard we seek it, relief is slow in coming.

I learned yesterday that even those days have worth. They might even have joy. Mine did. I had to look for it later, but it was there all the same.

I found it in the little things. . .

. . . a gas station attendant that forgot to actually put the nozzle in the car and had to ask for my card again
. . . unexpectedly seeing a friend out on the forklift as I drove by
. . . a two hour drive that suddenly turned into a four hour one (the joy took a while showing up on that one)
. . . getting directions from my boyfriend even though he's all the way across the country
. . . chatting with the old man "selling" free coffee at the rest area
. . . big dogs wearing red bandannas
. . . little boys mixing up cake batter with an electric mixer. . . "Give it some throttle!"
. . . dirty mop water and clean floors
. . . peeling potatoes and discussing life
. . . nine year old boys with "visions" of the future
. . . looking at old pictures of good times
. . . cherry pie filling on chocolate cake
. . . singing with the nephews
. . . journaling by a quiet fire
. . . moonlight falling across my pillow

In the moment, the little things weren't enough. They didn't cancel out the stresses. But at the end of the day when the tension surrounding the memories was erased, I realized that what I'd been thinking of as a bad day really had held its own joy.

We're human. We aren't always able to choose joy in the moment. But maybe we can in some small way make up for our failure by sifting through our day when it is over and picking out those little happenings that could've made us smile if we would've let them.

Find those moments. Find them, and thank God for them.

In doing so you might discover that a day endured with a grimace can later reveal memories laced with joy.

Life is a gift, every single moment of it. So make it count, even on the bad days.