When do you feel joy?

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- when reading my novels (or listening to audio books)
- during a long walk in mild weather or a long, hot shower when I'm daydreaming
- when eating really good pasta with lots of cheese or other delicious foods

-Listening to the right good music at the right time.
-Winning or doing exceptionally well at something, usually special intrest related, the more challangeing it was or the more unlikely it was for me to do well the more joy I have.
-learning new skills and information quickly or obtaining new abillites in special intrest related actvites.
-Solving complex problems with great solutions I come or help come up with.
-Helping others in dire need, knowing I made there life better usually gives me joy.

I feel joy when:-

...it's a Friday night or Saturday night and I don't have work the next day (I can feel more relaxed in the bath)
...I know what film I want to watch tonight in bed (sometimes I can't always think of what film to watch, and I have to watch something to wind down before I go to sleep)
...my favourite bus-drivers are on my bus
...I have a good conversation with somebody and I feel quite NT
...I get the impression that people like me when they go out of their way to greet me or chat to me, which makes me feel NT too
...I can play a new song on the keyboard
...my boyfriend texts me
...I am looking forward to an arrangement with family and/or friends
...I have compromised something with my boss about a shift or a duty, and it suits me
...it is pouring with rain at night (I love hearing the rain tapping on the window)
...it is going to be slightly milder with a lot of rain the day after it has been snowing, so that the snow will go away quick
...there's a prolonged heatwave in the summer

When I hear that people who buy my homemade jewelry refer to it as "A Vicky.
When I get a good test result from the oncologist.
When I realize I have made it an entire day without even one nap.
ANY time I'm with any of my grandchildren.
When I feed the homeless and they ask if we brought sleeping bags or socks too and I can say "yeah'
when my youngest son laughs. [and he's laughing more and more now]
When people read my fantasy adventure novels and are incredulous that I wrote them and say that they would love to live in my created world.
When I take my walk everyday in the mountains.
After an intense exercise session.
When I eat Indian food with my daughter.
When I am serving ice cream to children at my ice cream shop and they ask for extra cherries and I put on ten or I put out goodies for them to pile onto their ice cream. Or they come in with a dollar, or less, or nothing and they ask what they can have and how their faces light up when I say "Anything you'd like."
When I play with my dogs [ we have 2 dogs. we used to have 3 but Rosey passed about 6 months ago at 22 years old]
Chocolate [nuff said]
When I am with my husband.
When we have family gatherings with the kids and grandkids.
When I spend time with my best friend.
When I take a lilac scented bath.
Candles Candles Candles
When my youngest son juggles for me or makes me a robotic looking creature that he made out of balloons.
When I recruit a new AVON rep.
When I dance.
When no one else is around and I can swing on a swing. Yeah. I face towards the sun, shut my eyes, scrunch down my eyelids and approach near ecstasy as I experience all of the colors and patterns.

As a lot have said family especially the young ones who don't know I am different and my siblings who tenderly brought to a diagnoses. And most of the other who always accepted my differences

Coming here and finding another thing in my life that makes sense.

Coming here and being part of an actual conversations about autism and other topics. In the non-internet world this rarely happens for obvious reasons. On the rest of the net it is usually gotcha and personal attacks and emoticons shortcuts for words.

I've got a weird one...

My secret pleasure is to watch shows like "The Voice," and "So You Think You Can Dance." Don't like American Idol as much or X Factor because they make fun of people, but TV and SYTYCD I really enjoy.

Anyway, regarding experiencing joy...

I LOVE when one of the contestants has a phenomenal performance. The kind that makes the hair on your arms stand up. The reason that it expands beyond simple enjoyment and in to joy is for me is because I realize I am witnessing someone's dreams come true. I realize that for this person, at this moment in time, something they probably never even dreamed of happening is actually happening. It gives me a deep seated sense of happiness. Particularly if they have a "hard luck" backstory, or if they are particularly humble.

Actually, sometimes with SYTYCD, I experience joy just in watching the expression of human emotion in a nonverbal medium. I find it beautiful and beauty brings me joy.

When I feel for even a split second that I'm experiencing true friendship. Hasn't happened in over a year.

I feel happy when I see something related to my interests in the Cars or Planes movies, or anything about anthropomorphic cars in general.

I feel happy when I find plushies I like or have been searching for a long time.

I feel happy when I find Cars or Planes die casts at Target or Toys R Us that I've been looking for.

I feel happy when people ask me to introduce them to/tell them more about my plushies.

I feel happy when I have a several-hour nap during the day, or take a nice, long, pleasant walk.

I feel happy after an interaction with my stepmother that has gone well.

I feel happy when I talk with my favorite aunt on the phone.

I feel happy after watching Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends or Wander Over Yonder.

Watching a funny video on you tube usually does the trick.

Or seeing my family on holidays.

Or having an actually genuinely good time with friends.

Accomplishing my goals to include being successful in work and life (this is always a work in progress and still want "a life").

Very cliche and corny, but helping someone else and they truly appreciate it gives my joy.

Seeing the sun after many days of gray skies and rain.

The number one thing that makes me feel happy is WRLLing anything. That means Watching Video, Reading Text, Listening To Audio, and Looking At Pictures/Images

I enjoy other things but that is my Special Interest so it will always be #1.