Joy
Joy 30.5.22
How many times in our lives do we laugh till our sides split? For me, these occasions are rare, but when they do happen, they are certainly momentous. Yesterday was one of those times. The day was rainy, but Genevieve and I had managed a beach walk before the heavy showers set in. Stephen had remained at home with Willow, as neither of those two felt like a walk. Sometime later, we three adults were sitting quietly on our chairs, arranged in a u shape, in the dining area, while Willow played with a soft, pink ball she’d found in the spare bedroom. Full of energy, from not having accompanied her mother and I on the earlier walk, Willow began throwing the ball at us, in a game of catch. Backwards and forwards the ball went, with Willow not minding in the slightest when one of us misfired our shot and the ball went over her head or under her feet, running off with delight to retrieve it. Soon the game escalated and instead of throwing the ball, we would each use either of our four limbs to keep the ball afloat. That’s when the laughing started. As the ball hit crystals and trinkets, bouncing off these in random directions, and toppling them over in the process, we laughed even harder. Flailing limbs tried to reach the ball from our coveted corners, with the sight of each other, contorted and desperate to keep that ball in the air, exacerbating the laughter. If anyone had videoed us, it would have been a spectacle, two pensioners, a 29-year-old and a six-year-old, with all inhibitions gone, totally wrapped up in the moment.
Afterwards, we commented that we had not laughed like that in ages. I realised that was the first time I had truly laughed since Daniel passed away, five years ago and I suspect it was the same for Genevieve, who was Daniel’s fiancé. Life has continued on for all of us and we have had some happy times in the ensuing years, but nothing has reached into our hearts like that game of ball. I know Daniel would have been watching over us and it would have made him happy too, seeing us having so much fun together.
Something has shifted in my heart; I can feel it. Sometimes all we need to bring joy to our life, is a silly little ball game.