unadulterated joy

How do you define joy? Not just what it says in Webster's finest, but what it feels like to you. To me, there are many different levels of happiness and the highest of that is what I think of as "unadulterated joy". Unlike many people, good food doesn't do it for me, hell, neither does a good scotch whiskey. Sunsets are great, and yes, soccer makes me incredibly happy (especially when the US Men's team has a great result). Music can take me almost to the top - whether it is the crashing last chorus of "Little Lion Man" (Mumford and Sons) or the many crescendos of "Traveler Suite" (Blues Traveler) or even the electric-celtic thrum of "Drunken Lullabies" (Flogging Molly). But nothing quite gets me to the top, nothing quite like my little girl.
While my marriage with her mother has deteriorated beyond repair, nothing has shaken my resolve for providing a happy life for her. If anything, this divorce has solidified my mission to provide for that little girl.
Nothing else in this world can touch that feeling I get when I hear her screech "Daddy!!" down her school hall as she runs towards me ... or when she's laughing and giggling and just comes out with an "I love you daddy" ... and there is nothing that makes me smile more than seeing her sleeping peacefully in bed.
The fact of the matter is, I hope I can provide the best life and best opportunity for her, that I am capable of. I once told her, while she was sleeping, that it may not always seem like I am being nice, and she may not always understand why I am doing what I do ... but it is for her. In time, I hope that she grows up to be the wonderful, beautiful woman I know she can be. This little girl is going to be something great, and I will be proud to sit back and say that she's my daughter.
And that, my friends, is true joy.