Thursday, July 15, 2010

If You're Happy and You Know It... Make a List!

As I continue on my journey to complete my 101 in 1001 I am continually amazed at how happy I am working on my list of 101 Things That Make Me Happy list. 

Through our crazy schedules it's sometimes hard to find the things that make us happy because we assume they have to be big things.  But the little things are just as important as the big ones.  Remember to live life the best you can, love the most you can.  Moments are precious, many things can wait, The Sunset Won't.

Here are the newest additions to My Happy List:


61. Starting my day slowly.  You wake up when you want to, not when your alarm goes off.  You thrown on a robe or sweatshirt and head to the kitchen where you make a fresh pot of coffee.  You check emails, read, sit with your coffee and look outside.  You take the time to start your day on the right foot.  Taking the time to start my day slowly makes me happy.

62. Finding a new drink you like.  Whether it’s the chai tea that I’ve been making every night the past 5 nights because I like it.  Or the Pink Truck wine that I put on ice last night and added a little 7-up to to make it bubbly.  Finding a new drink that I like makes me happy.

63. Feeling useful.  Nobody wants to feel useless.  So when you get that opportunity to help someone, whether you are asked or not you feel good.  And the point is that you didn’t do it so you would feel good, you did it to help someone else.  But feeling useful, feeling a part of something, feeling like you can do something is a wonderful feeling.  Feeling useful makes me happy.

64. Seeing God’s hand in something.  For everyone this is different.  It can be in a person you meet, a song you hear, a light you miss, a job you do or don’t get.  But looking back on that event, or sometimes if you’re lucky, in that very moment you stop and think that was exactly how it was supposed to be.  Call it fate, serendipity, God, call it what you want.  But those moments where I see God’s hand in something makes me happy.

65. When someone does something unexpected for you.  Most recently my best friend called her workplace and told them she couldn’t work one day because a relative of mine was having major surgery and she wanted to be in the area in case something happened.  We talked on the phone a few times throughout the day.  It was awesome.  She didn’t have to do that, I would have understood if she had to go to work.  Did I mention that she works at her college 2 hours away.  She stayed at her parent’s place near where I live.  When someone does something unexpected, and thoughtful, it makes me happy.

66. Typing without looking at the keyboard, making a mistake or just typing fast.  Lame, right?  But I get so excited when I don’t have to slow down to hit delete.  When I can just zoom through what I am typing.  When I came home from college I was im’ing with a friend and my parents asked to see my computer because they didn’t believe that I was typing that fast.  Getting on a roll when I am typing makes me happy.

67. The perfect cup of coffee.  Coffee and tea drinkers have a certain way they like their beverage made.  For coffee, I most often like one packet of sweet and low and some hazelnut creamer.  But there is a certain ratio that must be achieved.  I most often do not achieve it, but when you take that first sip of your drink and its exactly how you like it?  Well, having the perfect cup of coffee or tea makes me happy.

68. When your distress signal is answered.  When we are down, sad or in a rut I think that on occasion we must send out silent distress signals.  Like the bat signal high in the sky.  Maybe you heard the call.  You got a sudden urge to text or call a friend.  To shoot an email.  Or maybe your signal was answered.  You received a random text from a good friend on a day when you were seriously bumming.  Answered distress signals make me happy.

69. Sales.  Those shoes you think are really cute.  A book by an author you love.  Your favorite kind of ice cream.  Whatever it may be, when you walk through the store and see that the item you were keeping your eye on, or something you are interested, and it’s on sale, doesn’t it just make your day?

70. Perfectly timed commercial breaks.  You’re watching a favorite show but you want to grab a drink, snack, your cell phone you left in another room, etc.  Then its commercial break.  You dash up the stairs to your room and grab your phone, head back to the kitchen, rummage through cupboards until you find that bag of sun chips and then look in the fridge for a diet soda.  You hustle back to your tv and just as you sit back down on the couch the show comes back.  Perfectly timed commercial breaks make me happy.


So what makes you happy?  What little things bring a smile to your face?  A ray of sunshine to a busy, hectic day?

8 comments:

  1. My favorite is when I've typed, I don't know, three or four sentences in a blog, email, IM, whatever and I am very aware that I haven't had to backspace yet because it's been flawless. Then it's a race against my brain to see if I can get through everything I need to say without one little error. Love it.

    (In case you're wondering, that was not the case with this comment.)

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  2. Amen to "the perfect cup of coffee" -- that always makes me happy; and when it's the first cup of coffee for the day it makes me believe that the rest of my day will be perfect, too :).

    When the word that I've been trying to dredge up the whole day pops into my head suddenly -- aah, that's such a euphoric moment for me.

    I love it that you relentlessly keep adding to your list, Heather. That's such a healthy outlook. Keep it up!!

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  3. My dad isn't a tech-y guy, so he NEVER believes that I can truly type as fast as I do.

    Your happy posts always remind me to think of what have made me happy today. So far it's been a gorgeous sunrise and light traffic on the way to work. :)

    P.S. Sun Chips and Diet Coke? Two of my favorite snacks.

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  4. P.P.S. I *PROMISE* I'll be reposting the awards you gave me. I have posts drafted. I've only been delaying because I really wanted to give them some thought...they deserve it!!!

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  5. Holly, I totally do that too. Problem is when I think about typing then I do worse than when I just type.

    Hema, if the first cup is perfect sometimes I don't even want to bother with a second because I too hope the rest of my day will go just as well and I don't want to jinx it. Thank you for your kind words.

    Amy, my dad is the one that makes me laugh the most. He is fairly tech-y but its the easy things that he can't do. Its funny. Gorgeous sunrises are just one of those things that I think makes most people happy. And no worries about the award posts, I figured you would get to it when you had time :) Wedding planning is busy stuff.

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  6. Oh I would so like to start my days off slowly too! How do we figure out how to do that?!?

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  7. 1. I'm a new follower and most importantly...
    2. I LOVE your blog!

    I am doing the 101(ish) in 1001, but you know what, I think I'm going to do a happy list as well- because one of the things on my 101ish list is to make a list of things that make me happy! Therefore, you have inspired me. Thank you.

    You should stop by sometime.
    http://sweetteasoundtrack.blogspot.com

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  8. Welcome Holley, and thank you! I love lists and have found the Happy List to be therapeutic. And a wonderful reminder to look for the sun in the darkest of moments. Good luck with your list. I will be checking it out!

    SIF, I wish there were a trick to starting out slowly. Some days its possible and some days sleep seems so much more important. But we keep trying, right?

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