My list of things to be happy about

I started this list in High School when my friend bought me a book called 14,000 Things to be Happy About. The first 223 are from my original list written in 1993-1994. I can tell you what made me write nearly every single one, even 15 years later.

1. green Jello
2. best friends
3. theater lights
4. the smell of AquaNet hairspray
5. daffodils
6. books about life
7. cold nights that smell like snow, with clear sky and beautiful stars
8. Cassiopeia
9. sunsets in summerhouses
10. seagulls
11. Star Island showers
12. sitting on the rocks talking about nothing
13. sunflowrs
14. m&ms
15. rock candy
16. lavender soap balls
17. cards from out of no where
18. gray days that get sunny
19. marbles
20. wonderful finds a 2nd hand stores
21. warm popcorn
22. good tv movies
23. brand new crayons
24. warm showers
25. yellow mustard
26. little white Christmas lights
27. white candles
28. homemade Christmas tree ornaments
29. gourmet jelly beans in cotton candy, watermelon, and buttered popcorn
30. bibles with pictures
31. trombone solos
32. piano music
33. showtunes
34. Christmas cards
35. snow days
36. Dr. Denton pajamas with feet
37. unexpected presents
38. the cancellation of bad sitcoms
39. opening night highs
40. Chinese food and marshmallows roasted on chopsticks over a gas stove in a hotel room kitchenette
41. Miracle on 32nd Street (the original)
42. movie posters
43. full moons
44. fried chicken
45. maple trees
46. no smoking signs
47. waterfalls and rolling rivers
48. Halloween
49. 80 degree days in May
50. mistletoe and all its powers
51. full Christmas stockings
52. old furniture
53. Jingle Bells
54. children’s theater
55. polished rocks
56. brown lipstick
57. rock jumping
58. seeing old friends
59. the hope that they will find a complete cure for all cancers
60. volleyball
61. Tupperware
62. Academy Awards for people who deserve them
63. school girl crushes
64. opening presents on Christmas Eve
65. sleeping late, getting up and staying in your pajamas watching TV and eating hot cereal
66. blue eyed men
67. the ability to juggle
68. The Little House on the Prairie
69. being able to put all the pieces back in the box they came from
70. back porches looking off into a beautiful view
71. cupid
72. bacon and eggs, fresh squeezed orange juice, hot cocoa, toast, jam, fruit
73. popcorn balls
74. cloud patterns
75. Deep Thoughts by Jack Handy
76. singing Christmas carols with your friends on cold, crisp Christmas nights
77. fruit punch with ginger ale and strawberries
78. puddle jumping on warm summer evenings
79. headache relief
80. freedom
81. democracy
82. Christmas trees covered with homemade ornaments and tinsel
83. Breakfast at Tiffany’s
84. Moon River
85. the look on a child’s face when they succeed
86. Edger Allen Poe
87. Hungry, Hungry Hippos
88. Saturday Night Live reruns
89. new pads of paper
90. Picket Fences (the TV show)
91. variety shows with real variety
92. Sunday comics
93. warm socks
94. clear hair
95. red Swedish fish
96. black raspberry milkshakes
97. fresh warm plain bagels with olive and pimento cream cheese
98. painted daisies
99. chewy chocolate chip cookies
100. hot chocolate with real whipped cream
101. shooting stars
102. The Wizard of Oz
103. a good night’s sleep
104. movies with subtitles
105. Bach’s Magnificat
106. finishing all your college applications
107. not wearing makeup
108. not having to wear pantyhose
109. Love Letters by A.R. Gurney
110. NOON upside down and backwards
111. 180 degree horizons
112. smelly candles
113. handmade gifts made with you in mind by someone who knows exactly what you want
114. Murphy Brown
115. Colleen Dewhurst
116. Anne of Green Gables
117. fountain pens
118. hay rides
119. Christmas carols that everyone knows
120. dirt roads
121. small Vermont towns
122. Chucks
123. British accents
124. Pididdles
125. flea markets
126. swimming holes with rope swings
127. trumpet mutes for jazz music
128. euphoniums
129. clauses
130. piano players
131. Steinway pianos
132. small town rituals
133. Christmas Eve services
134. church services lit only by lantern light
135. toast and orange juice when you are sick
136. first loves
137. fortune cookies
138. “I Love You” (in ASL)
139. Bill Cosby
140. ocean air
141. old wallpaper
142. fresh paint
143. silk pajamas
144. cameos with pictures
145. Broadway
146. thespians
147. snowball fights that end with hot cocoa
148. good books by dead people
149. fish
150. reading the Sunday paper on a beautiful morning by the pool
151. real Vermont maple syrup
152. imaginary friends
153. pulling on a pair of sweats
154. watching family reunions on TV talk shows
155. the sun reflecting off snow
156. Macy’s Thanksgiving day parade balloons
157. white and yellow roses
158. antique jewelry
159. The Cosby Show reruns
160. Family Ties reruns
161. little kids belief in Santa Claus
162. the Immaculate Conception
163. spell checkers on word processors
164. white picket fences
165. big red barns
166. Holstein cows
167. recycled paper
168. new age music
169. Greensleeves
170. the smell of lavender
171. patent leather Mary Janes
172. cities and towns named for the Old World
173. “Douglas Wambaugh for the…”
174. chocolate chip cookie dough – raw
175. Ben & Jerry’s ice cream
176. fiction stories by up and coming author’s printed in teen magazines
177. natural redheads
178. sugar cookies
179. goldfish
180. fresh oranges
181. velvet & silk
182. Tom Skerrit
183. lemons
184. snow angels
185. Harry Connick Jr
186. Kraft American Singles
187. wearing black
188. The Rimers of Eldrich by Lanford Wilson
189. music videos that are original
190. The 80s (and 70s) are over
191. Dr Seuss books
192. Psalms and Proverbs
193. facials
194. peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
195. good pictures
196. drawings made by little kids
197. hugs from little kids who think you are the greatest
198. ornaments made with construction paper, crayons, glitter, and Elmer’s school glue
199. play dough
200. sugar cookies with colored sugar
201. Snapple pink lemonade
202. Kosher food
203. clean sheets
204. warm towels
205. “dirt” pudding
206. pretend
207. shopping for Christmas gifts with your best friend in the rain
208. saltwater air
209. photographs of your friends
210. address books full of people who know you
211. books by Judy Blume
212. TV shows that aren’t about rich blonde dizzy people who live in Southern California
213. swimming pools with diving boards
214. fresh squeezed orange juice
215. absurd plays by men that don’t think you need to search for hidden meaning
216. classes with only a handful of people where you learn about something you truly care to learn about, not just something other people think you need to learn
217. finding lipstick in just the right shade of whatever color you happen to be looking for
218. chick flicks
219. not having to watch “grope ‘n kills” with your guy friends
220. “The Few, The Proud, The Marines”
221. a fresh box of baking soda in the fridge
222. screen sculptures of naked men
223. songs that touch your heart
224. the first bite of a piece of gum
225. Harry Potter movie trailers
226. actual proof my students have learned something
227. a student, who fought me for a year about learning keyboarding, thanking me a year later for teaching them the right way
228. thank you notes made by students
229. a vanilla creamie with rainbow sprinkles
230. a finished knitting project
231. the way it smells outside after a summer rain
232. having a staring contest with my cat
233. flip flops
234. my son
235. my baby’s smile
236. walks on a perfect summer day
237. bagpipes in the distance
238. my son
239. my baby’s smile
240. walks on a perfect summer day
241. bagpipes in the distance
242. crisp fall days
243. my students doing well
244. back pain-free days
245. homemade apple pie
246. fresh macaroni and cheese
247. new books
248. computers that work consistently
249. having a president of color
250. the freedom to speak out against your government without fear (even if you are stupid)
251. watching my husband take care of our son
252. sleeping late while my husband takes care of our son
253. car trips
254. leaves changing color in the fall
255. maple cotton candy
256. comfortable shoes
257. going barefoot
258. fresh lemonade
259. apple fritters with ice cream
260. apple cider donuts
261. that first glimpse of Star Island
262. shiny blue bow ties
263. stepping into the air conditioning after being in the heat
264. small town parades
265. the 1812 Overture
266. fireworks
267. fresh warm raspberries
268. locating something you thought was lost for good
269. baby giggles
270. watching my boys play together
271. health
272. my preschooler’s jokes
273. sleepy “I love you”s
274. secret surprises
275. snuggling with my big little boy
276. homemade jelly from my students
277. pregnant bellies
278. automatic car starter on a cold icy day
279. maple oatmeal