Come On, Get Happy!

Sometimes it doesn’t take very much to make me happy.  I’m kind of easy that way and I’ve been spending more time trying to hang onto the positive and let go of the negative lately.  Finding pleasure in the little things can really turn around a bad mood for me, so I thought I’d compile a list of some of the things that give me that happy feeling inside:

1. Clean Sheets – there is nothing better than getting in bed with a fresh set of sheets.  It’s one of  the things I love about Sunday night.
2. Sleeping in the bed right after the mattress has been flipped.  (can you tell what I did today?)
3. Spending a hot summer day in a lawn chair with a good book and an endless supply of iced tea (no sugar, thanks).
4. Crossing things off lists – I like to make lists of things I have to do and then cross those things off.  Sometimes if I’m feeling unproductive I will write things I  already did on the list so that I can cross it off and get “credit” for it.  I have no idea what that credit does for me, it just works for my weirdness.
5. Mangoes.  Yum.
6. Puppies.  Puppies are good for just about anything that ails you.  Until they pee on the floor that is, but their cuteness returns very shortly afterward so you forget the peeing part.
7. Waking up without an alarm clock.  The days when I get to wake up on my own terms are happier days than when I have to follow a schedule, whether it’s for work or other commitments.  I like getting my snooze on.
8. Watching the fish in our pond.  It’s the same theory as watching a fish tank, only you get the plinky plinky waterfall noises and the fresh air too.  Sometimes the little birds even come sit by you.
9. Driving with all the windows down and the music loud on really hot summer days.  I usually only do this when I’m alone in the car, I’m not sure why.  I’m not a big fan of air conditioning anymore, although I used to love it when I was younger.  Now I prefer to feel the heat.
10. Fresh fruit.  It’s one of the things I love best about summer and I eat all of the different kinds of fresh fruit that I can get my hands on all summer long.  When I was pregnant with the Boy that was the only thing I really craved – fresh fruit.  Cherries and cantaloupe are my favorite, but I also love watermelon, grapes, peaches, and pineapple.  Bananas are good in fruit salad or banana splits, but I don’t really eat them by themselves anymore.  My dog, on the other hand, will do backflips for bananas.  I know, weird dog.
11. The smell of bread baking.  In fact, fresh bread and a big bowl of soup make me very happy on a wintery day.
12. Talking on the phone with my best friend.  She always listens to what I have to say, and she always makes me laugh.  I always hang up the phone feeling better after having talked with her for a while.
13. Flowers.  I have a thing for flowers, especially pink ones.  Whenever anyone asks me what my favorite flower is, they always laugh at me because I say the pink ones.  Pink peonies might be my favorite, but it’s hard to choose.
14. Sushi.  Sushi makes me really happy on the inside, right up until it blows up in my belly and the coma starts.  That doesn’t stop me from eating it, or even from eating too much of it.  It’s just too happy.
15. Sunny, warm days.  I am not a winter person.  At all.  I love the sun and the heat, even when it’s hot to the point of oppressive, I just don’t care.  I love it.

I’m sure there are more things I could add to my list, but I’m more interested in hearing what rings your bell.  Maybe I’ve missed some things I could add to my happy list!  So how about it?  What are the little things in life that make you happy?