How we have more control over our joy than we think.
After a very hot and humid week, we had a series of strong thunderstorms and heavy rains where I live in upstate New York. A blackout sent me to bed on the early side and I cracked the bedroom window open to hear the night sounds of the insects in the woods.
A big smile broke across my face in the dark as I heard the croaking of a bullfrog. I hadn’t heard frogs in quite a while as it had been quite dry. Even my quarter-acre pond was mostly dried up.
I felt such joy and reveled in the joy of the bullfrog singing. How happy it must be to have all of this water again! How happy I was to witness its joy!
Then I got up to open the window a little more to hear this lovely creature a little better.
Surprise
Shock.
Dismay.
Anger too.
The vague sound of a bullfrog joyously singing was no bullfrog at all. It was the muffled groan of the neighbor’s generator, a neighbor whose presence and behavior has challenged my peaceful existence ever since he moved to the property next door a little over a year ago.
How dare he destroy the beautiful night sounds of nature with his mechanical monstrosity! We…
