Small Joys

Let’s face it: these are difficult times. For two years now, we have been in the midst of a global pandemic that has changed all of our lives in one way or another. At all three of our Willow Brook campuses, we have gone through dark days, especially in early 2020 when no one understood the emergent COVID-19 virus. Tests were not available, let alone vaccines. Desperate for a light at the end of the tunnel, we looked to small joys to uplift us and keep us going.

This month, we want to acknowledge those small joys at each of our campuses that make residents and staff smile, in good times and in hard times. This week we would like to highlight a small joy at our Delaware Run campus—our fish tanks!

Picture this: It’s a Monday afternoon, and you are heading downstairs from your apartment to get your mail. There to the right of the mailboxes, blue and black pebbles shimmer in the water of a beautiful fish tank filled with gray, black, and rust colored fish happily swimming to greet you. 

It’s pretty unanimous that the fish and fish tanks are a small joy of living at Willow Brook—and a popular one, at that! It is not uncommon to see staff, residents, and visitors saying hello and even having conversations with the fish—they are great listeners! Many have a favorite fish that they visit and talk to daily, if only in passing. Visitors, too (especially kids) love the fish tank! 

Of course, we can’t forget the sister fish tank in the Assisted Living wing of our Delaware Run campus. One resident in particular can often be found sitting next to the tank, happy as can be. And why not? Observing fish can be very calming—stress-relief at its best!

As we come to the end of our second blog post, we at The Babbling Brook would like to invite you to come back in the next two weeks to read about the small joys at our Christian Home and Christian Village campuses, giving you a peek into the little things that Willow Brookers love about where they live.

We also have a fun challenge for you: what are two or three small joys that bring a smile to your face throughout your day or week? Drop your answers into the comments below. You might just brighten someone’s day—and we all need more of that!