I can’t recall a moment having tears of joy. Sure, I’ve been happy before, at times very happy, but not to the point of tears of joy. I do remember a moment I was so happy I teared up, but it was somewhat of a different situation. We had been offshore in a small boat snorkeling in the ocean. After a few hours, we were tired and done for the day, except the rest of the boat wanted to continue on. We looked to the shore and thought it looked close enough to swim to. I have never been the strongest swimmer, but I was wearing fins and the beach looked within reach. We decided to give it a go.
Accurately estimating distance over water is challenging for an untrained eye, whether you’re watching from another boat or from shore. It’s a well-known phenomenon—known as foreshortening—where objects appear to be much closer to each other than they actually are.
– spiritoforca
I never really knew there could be such a significant difference between actual distance versus perceived distance. We slowly learned these are two completely different things. As I swam to shore, it didn’t appear to get any closer no matter how hard I swam. Some of it had to do with the current, but mostly because it was far. I just kept my head down and swam as hard as I could. After what seemed like forever, I finally made it to shore. It was almost out of a movie where I crawled on my hands and knees onto the beach and I literally bent over and kissed the sand. I fell over and rolled on my back, out of breath, thankful to have survived. I felt a tear well up in the corner of my eye. I was happy, happy that I didn’t die. Maybe there was a little relief mixed in there, too. Yeah, maybe not the same thing as tears of joy, but that’s all I got.
In previous posts, I’ve referred a few times to listening to “mom’s music” on the radio while stuck in Southern California traffic. Here is another one from those days, while bumper to bumper on the 5 freeway – Joy to the World by Three Dog Night. This is not the typical Gen X song, but a good childhood memory. I remember being happy when this came on the radio. For a little kid, any song that starts off with “Jeremiah was a bull frog” has got to be a fun song. This morning I watched the video of Three Dog Night for the first time. I should have filmed myself and started a YouTube reaction channel to capture and share my look of surprise. I don’t know what I was expecting, but I wasn’t expecting that. Long hair, bell bottoms pants, wide collared shirts and mismatched patterns. It’s a perfect fit with the 70’s era. . . Now I’ll always have this visual and smile a little bit wider when I hear this song.
At its core, “Joy to the World” is a song about spreading joy, love, and positivity. It reminds us of the simple pleasures in life and encourages us to let go of our worries and immerse ourselves in the happiness that surrounds us. Whether it’s the catchy melody, the joyful lyrics, or the nostalgic memories it evokes, this song has touched the hearts of millions and is often associated with feelings of happiness and contentment.
– OldTimeMusic
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Jeremiah was a bull frog Was a good friend of mine I never understood a single word he said But I helped him drink his wine And he always had some mighty fine wine Singin' Joy to the world All the boys and girls, now Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea Joy to you and me If I were the king of the world Tell you what I'd do I'd throw away the cars and the bars and the wars Make sweet love to you Singin' now Joy to the world All the boys and girls Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea Joy to you and me You know I love the ladies Love to have my fun I'm a high night flier and a rainbow rider A straight-shootin' son of a gun I said a straight shootin' son of a gun Joy to the world All the boys and girls Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea Joy to you and me Joy to the world All the boys and girls Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea Joy to you and me Joy to the world All the boys and girls Joy to the world Joy to you and me Joy to the world All the boys and girls, now Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea Joy to you and me Joy to the world All the boys and girls Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea Joy to you and me
MyGenXerLife 
Loved this song as a kid! I haven’t heard it in years. Also love the band
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Yes, me, too!
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I was humming that song about three days ago. Always loved Three Dog Night!
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Perfect timing!
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Absolutely!
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