Pigeons

Interviewer: "Are there small things in everyday life that make you happy?"

Old Man: "I look out the window and see 22 pigeons up on the roof, and by now I can set the time (using them). At between 8:30 a.m. and 9:45 a.m., they are always doing this here, always side by side, yeah?" (Here he displays this little dance pigeons do, swaying side to side.)

Interviewer: "It's probably a social thing, right?"

Old Man: "Yeah, very social. They are looking for mates, or the guys are looking for a girl. And then the guys dance like idiots with their arses out and turn 33 times until the second or third one says, 'OK, come on then,' and then they fly away again."

Joy hides in plain sight. In pigeons, even. Many interviewed said the clichés like "spending time with friends and family" or "good weather" — both of which are true, of course — but what fascinates me is the small things, things that you just wouldn't notice if you didn't spend a moment to take in the world around you.

This old fellow is 85. He's seen a few things in his time, and this observation is what he shared. The natural world can be really beautiful, at every scale, if you're just willing to look.

Source: Easy German