You Heard It Here: Happiness Is…
Most of the time, I’m a pretty happy person, but recently I’ve been trying even harder to concentrate on the good parts of life and enjoy all the moments that make me happy. Last night is the perfect example. I found a conversation on twitter about Dangerously Close and the end result had me grinning so much that it took me hours to go to sleep. (I billed it as the best kind of insomnia.) To give you the short rundown, a blind author read the book. (Sounds like she has a text to speech app, but I’m not 100% sure.) She loved my “kick ass book” and “badass heroine” and can I tell you… it just doesn’t get better than that. She got it. She got me and I’ll forever love that woman. <G> But along with getting great feedback from my books, other things make me happy too.
Seeing my daughter play well on the soccer field or watching my husband come up with ways to make jokes on the page work even better when he’s directing a show…
Loving on my sweet puppy dogs… And watching them love on each other.
(I feel the need to mention that I call this photo, “The Big Boy Lovin’ on his Big Girl.”)
When my editor gives me a smiley face on something in my manuscript…
Even just picking up a simple chai latte will brighten my day to an enormous extent. I’ve decided I’m a simple person and that’s okay with me. I’m not hard to please (and my husband probably likes that. LOL.)
What about you? Are you high maintenance or do you/can you appreciate the simple things in life? What makes you happy?
It was 4 degrees this morning when I got up. Snuggling with my little guys under the blankies watching cartoons was my happy moment today.
Hi Sophie,
That sounds deliciously perfect! (4 degrees!!! Crazy!!! We’re just finally diving into fall here in So Cal. Loving the cooler weather!)
Being in nature and really noticing things makes me happy. Can be anything. A bug on a tree, the shade of the mountains, the sparkle of water, a butterfly. Yeah, I’m a fairly simple character too. : ) The other thing that makes me deeply happy is to have both of my kids together in the same room, even if only for a short time.
Hi Robena,
I’m with you on everything except the bug. LOL. And I want to add a good haircut to my list. Thanks for stopping in!
I’m convinced it’s the small things that make you happy! Yesterday, I watched my 7 year olds play together outside. It was a moment of pure bliss. A good cup of coffee can set my day off on the right track and my husband just confessed yesterday that when I get up and greet him at the door, it makes him feel loved and he’s happy the rest of the day.
Great blog post!
Hi Shawna,
I love your list!! I think you hit the most important things. Kids, hubby and the ever necessary coffee!! LOL. Thanks for coming by!
I have a whole list of simple things that mean the world to me, Dee J!
That first cup of coffee each morning
Looking out my kitchen window at the hill behind my house
Oatmeal and fresh blueberries
Rubbing dog ears (any dog will do)
Touching cat noses (if they’ll let me)
Taking long walks, especially on cool, sunny days
Opening the first page of a new book and getting swept away
Getting a goofy LOL e-mail from one of my buddies
Seeing an outstanding movie (sometimes this one is a challenge)
Smelling dinner cooking in the oven (especially if someone else has put it there)
Hi Lynne,
LOVE your list! Coffee seems like a necessity for most of us. LOL. An outstanding move is sometimes hard to find, but I guess that’s what the good ones really good…. Yep dinner made by someone else and maybe… cleaned up by someone else as well. Haha. Thanks for dropping in!
Well, I appreciate the simple things, but I remain high maintenance. The thing is that normally, I don’t realize how high maintenance I am until someone says something to me about it. I just do the stuff that makes me happy, ya’ know? I guess that also makes me pretty self-sufficient at least until I win the lottery and can afford Sherpas to follow me around and carry the luggage.
Here’s the thing, my dad passed away almost a decade ago. After a few months of grief my sister and I redefined what made a good day, a great day and a perfect day. A good day is one where you wake up. A great day is one you wake up and get your coffee (or tea for those tea drinkers out there). A perfect day is when you wake up and someone else has brought you your perfect cup of coffee made just the way you like it (or tea for those tea drinkers out there). Every day has been a good day and most days are great days and occasionally there is a perfect day.
Of course, I also believe that we decide what label we’re going to put on something and being happy is a choice rather than a state of mind. I am not talking about doctor assigned illnesses. I am not sure that if you have a chemical imbalance you can simply choose to be happy. I am also not talking about those moments of grief, pain and suffering that each of us must face in our lives.
Okay, I am gonna stop now before I get even more weirdly philosophic on this!
Happy is as happy does, yeah.
Hi Maria,
Wow! Some great points! Especially regarding a chemical imbalance. I think being happy is a choice but can be a state of mind… maybe… depending on what state you live in. LOL. Love the definition of a perfect day. I know when my hubby wakes me up with my Chai latte, I’m very much in love with the man. LOL. Thanks for coming by and I don’t think you’re high maintenance.
I’m one of those people that looks on the bright side of things, so I get hits of happy all the time. I agree with Maria – waking up makes for a good day, right there! Everything on Lynne’s list would also make my list. Then there’s hearing from friends, a smile from a stranger, a daisy in an unexpected place.
I need to add spending time with the hubby. Holding hands, talking, watching the fire as we sit outside sipping wine. A lot of my happy is wrapped up in him.
Great post!
Hi Christine,
Great additions to the list! I like spending time with my guy too. (We’ve been ships passing in the night lately and it’s been hard to connect.) Everyone’s lists have been terrific! Glad you stopped by! Thanks!
Great lists, all. Happy is those transitory moments of delight. Longer lasting is joy and that is the thing most often missing in our crazy overstimulating world unless we are lucky enough to be able to tune out the noise and follow our passion.
puppy ears..love it!
Smart conversation
When someone ‘gets’ me and my novels. This too is a not often enough jewel.
Finishing my run with a tall cool glass of water
Clean fragrances and the things that produce them
Quiet
Memories of places and people I love.
Thanks for bringing a smile to my day Dee J
Hi Christine,
Yes! You brought up a great one… people who get our novels! So much happiness in that, right!? Also a great list! I love all these things! Glad the post made you smile. Everyone’s items are making ME smile! Thanks for stopping in!
Thanks for the reminder that “big” doesn’t necessarily equal “happy.” It’s crunch leaves time, and that’s thappy.
Hi Liz,
Clearly I find happiness in the little things. LOL. Sometimes “big” just equals to “big.” haha. Thanks for stopping in!
Give me a good book, a warm day, a comfy hammock and a rum and coke 🙂
Leigh
Hi Leigh,
That sounds heavenly! Short and sweet but still a great list! Thanks for stopping in!
Hi. I loved this post. I’m embarrassed to admit I spent a lot of years chasing happy in handbags and cars and job titles involving V’s and P’s. Didn’t work, (although some of the handbags got me pretty darn close). Now my list is simpler:
1) Time with my family and friends
2) Alone time with a good book (like, for instance, Dangerously Close)!
3) Sleep
Hi Sam,
Okay… so number 2 on your list… I’m LOVING that. LOL. And I like #3 too. I am a huge fan of sleep! It might be one of my favorite hobbies. LOL. (Nothing wrong with a good handbag either! ) Thanks for coming by!