I started a list of things that make me happy a few months ago. It's
by no means comprehensive, but I added to it as I recalled various
things that were both comfortable and put a smile on my face.
This
list is especially poignant almost exactly a year after I was writhing
in agony so much about my work situation that I couldn't talk about any
other than my own misery. Things are different right now. It's good to
be happy. I like having time to be happy. I like having a husband that
makes me happy. I like having running and the community of running in
my life that make me happy. I like Friday night date night happy. I
like beer with a close friend and a bottle glass of wine with my family happy.
I
was going to keep it just to myself. But this week as I ran along the
Greenway and got a whiff of honeysuckle at twilight, I decided that
others have their own things that make life a little
sweeter. The memories and connotations are reminders that in between
the mundane, there is a lot of joy. My bucket list is full of adventure
and adrenaline. This list is pure simplicity.
I'll continue to add to it over the months (or years) as even reading it makes me breathe a little slower, smile a little wider.
All
kinds of mustard, the smell of freshly cut grass, a love story with a
happy ending, red wine (shiraz, zinfandel, pinot noir), really strong
black coffee, long runs where I get lost in my thoughts, the crack of
the bat, Disney tired, beach tired, night swimming, a medium rare
ribeye, houndstooth prints, late afternoon naps, showering after working
in the yard, ice cold watermelon on a hot day, sleeping in nice hotels,
riding in airplanes, crunchy cereal in super cold milk, the smell of
Christmas tree in the house, the first day of shorts after a cold
winter, the first day of jeans after a hot summer, dining al fresco, a
book I can't put down, old couples holding hands, the smell of
honeysuckle at twilight, solving crossword puzzles, salt spray, Bailey's
on the rocks, heavy rain in the middle of the night, the smell of new
running shoes, the smell of books in an old library, puppy kisses, clean
sheets, eating cherry tomatoes off the vine, the sounds of a forest in
the morning, candlelight conversations, driving fast with the windows
down, a towering piece of chocolate cake, having my hair brushed.....
What's your happy?
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