Paradigm Shifts

I spend some time this week with a friend I've talked about before - the musician. We talked about where we were in life and what helped us to keep a good perspective. Both of us have been put in positions where life has given us something we didn't ask for.
We look for joy and fulfillment in areas that were previously unexpected. We find other ways (legally and morally acceptable) to practice joyful living. My friend and I took a little time to do some Bible study - and decided to do it again because we have separately come to the decision that we need to share Christ with the people we meet and that we need to understand what others believe in order to reinforce the similarities in our beliefs.
It's very comfy being with someone who understands the importance of family - and who has been in emotional positions similar to those I experience. Happiness - Joy is a choice. Our pets and nieces and nephews and siblings provide great opportunity to share life's joys - and we have great opportunity as singles to create unique places of joy. He as volunteered for years with at-risk youth in county detention, and was telling me how one young man was leaving the facility with whom he shared the need to just remain focused on what he had learned. Months later they met at a local retail outlet and the young man had taken the counsel to heart.
I find there are others in my local congregation who are single and have invited them to have a home evening with me. I don't know if it will be a regular thing, but a number of people seem to look forward to doing something like this. I also have a great time fixing computers and do so for family members and others on a barter system. Being as active physically as I can be is important, and acknowledging my friends and/or making new friends me hace sentir alegre. I'm using "Rosetta Stone" software to learn French and Portugese with the idea of using it with people I meet. I've put my mandolin on the list as well. and doing wood carving.. What else can I add to the list?