My Happy Things

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

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2 thoughts on “My Happy Things

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