{"id":219,"date":"2007-12-31T21:41:04","date_gmt":"2008-01-01T02:41:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/strathconn.com\/lady\/my-list-of-things-to-be-happy-about\/"},"modified":"2013-12-16T14:02:28","modified_gmt":"2013-12-16T19:02:28","slug":"my-list-of-things-to-be-happy-about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/strathconn.com\/lady\/my-list-of-things-to-be-happy-about\/","title":{"rendered":"My Happy Things"},"content":{"rendered":"

My list of things to be happy about<\/h2>\n

I started this list in High School when my friend bought me a book called 14,000 Things to be Happy About<\/a>. 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.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. green Jello<\/li>\n
  2. best friends<\/li>\n
  3. theater lights<\/li>\n
  4. the smell of AquaNet hairspray<\/li>\n
  5. daffodils<\/li>\n
  6. books about life<\/li>\n
  7. cold nights that smell like snow, with clear sky and beautiful stars<\/li>\n
  8. Cassiopeia<\/li>\n
  9. sunsets in summerhouses<\/li>\n
  10. seagulls<\/li>\n
  11. Star Island showers<\/li>\n
  12. sitting on the rocks talking about nothing<\/li>\n
  13. sunflowrs<\/li>\n
  14. m&ms<\/li>\n
  15. rock candy<\/li>\n
  16. lavender soap balls<\/li>\n
  17. cards from out of no where<\/li>\n
  18. gray days that get sunny<\/li>\n
  19. marbles<\/li>\n
  20. wonderful finds a 2nd hand stores<\/li>\n
  21. warm popcorn<\/li>\n
  22. good tv movies<\/li>\n
  23. brand new crayons<\/li>\n
  24. warm showers<\/li>\n
  25. yellow mustard<\/li>\n
  26. little white Christmas lights<\/li>\n
  27. white candles<\/li>\n
  28. homemade Christmas tree ornaments<\/li>\n
  29. gourmet jelly beans in cotton candy, watermelon, and buttered popcorn<\/li>\n
  30. bibles with pictures<\/li>\n
  31. trombone solos<\/li>\n
  32. piano music<\/li>\n
  33. showtunes<\/li>\n
  34. Christmas cards<\/li>\n
  35. snow days<\/li>\n
  36. Dr. Denton pajamas with feet<\/li>\n
  37. unexpected presents<\/li>\n
  38. the cancellation of bad sitcoms<\/li>\n
  39. opening night highs<\/li>\n
  40. Chinese food and marshmallows roasted on chopsticks over a gas stove in a hotel room kitchenette<\/li>\n
  41. Miracle on 32nd Street (the original)<\/li>\n
  42. movie posters<\/li>\n
  43. full moons<\/li>\n
  44. fried chicken<\/li>\n
  45. maple trees<\/li>\n
  46. no smoking signs<\/li>\n
  47. waterfalls and rolling rivers<\/li>\n
  48. Halloween<\/li>\n
  49. 80 degree days in May<\/li>\n
  50. mistletoe and all its powers<\/li>\n
  51. full Christmas stockings<\/li>\n
  52. old furniture<\/li>\n
  53. Jingle Bells<\/li>\n
  54. children’s theater<\/li>\n
  55. polished rocks<\/li>\n
  56. brown lipstick<\/li>\n
  57. rock jumping<\/li>\n
  58. seeing old friends<\/li>\n
  59. the hope that they will find a complete cure for all cancers<\/li>\n
  60. volleyball<\/li>\n
  61. Tupperware<\/li>\n
  62. Academy Awards for people who deserve them<\/li>\n
  63. school girl crushes<\/li>\n
  64. opening presents on Christmas Eve<\/li>\n
  65. sleeping late, getting up and staying in your pajamas watching TV and eating hot cereal<\/li>\n
  66. blue eyed men<\/li>\n
  67. the ability to juggle<\/li>\n
  68. The Little House on the Prairie<\/li>\n
  69. being able to put all the pieces back in the box they came from<\/li>\n
  70. back porches looking off into a beautiful view<\/li>\n
  71. cupid<\/li>\n
  72. bacon and eggs, fresh squeezed orange juice, hot cocoa, toast, jam, fruit<\/li>\n
  73. popcorn balls<\/li>\n
  74. cloud patterns<\/li>\n
  75. Deep Thoughts by Jack Handy<\/li>\n
  76. singing Christmas carols with your friends on cold, crisp Christmas nights<\/li>\n
  77. fruit punch with ginger ale and strawberries<\/li>\n
  78. puddle jumping on warm summer evenings<\/li>\n
  79. headache relief<\/li>\n
  80. freedom<\/li>\n
  81. democracy<\/li>\n
  82. Christmas trees covered with homemade ornaments and tinsel<\/li>\n
  83. Breakfast at Tiffany’s<\/li>\n
  84. Moon River<\/li>\n
  85. the look on a child’s face when they succeed<\/li>\n
  86. Edger Allen Poe<\/li>\n
  87. Hungry, Hungry Hippos<\/li>\n
  88. Saturday Night Live reruns<\/li>\n
  89. new pads of paper<\/li>\n
  90. Picket Fences (the TV show)<\/li>\n
  91. variety shows with real variety<\/li>\n
  92. Sunday comics<\/li>\n
  93. warm socks<\/li>\n
  94. clear hair<\/li>\n
  95. red Swedish fish<\/li>\n
  96. black raspberry milkshakes<\/li>\n
  97. fresh warm plain bagels with olive and pimento cream cheese<\/li>\n
  98. painted daisies<\/li>\n
  99. chewy chocolate chip cookies<\/li>\n
  100. hot chocolate with real whipped cream<\/li>\n
  101. shooting stars<\/li>\n
  102. The Wizard of Oz<\/li>\n
  103. a good night’s sleep<\/li>\n
  104. movies with subtitles<\/li>\n
  105. Bach’s Magnificat<\/li>\n
  106. finishing all your college applications<\/li>\n
  107. not wearing makeup<\/li>\n
  108. not having to wear pantyhose<\/li>\n
  109. Love Letters by A.R. Gurney<\/li>\n
  110. NOON upside down and backwards<\/li>\n
  111. 180 degree horizons<\/li>\n
  112. smelly candles<\/li>\n
  113. handmade gifts made with you in mind by someone who knows exactly what you want<\/li>\n
  114. Murphy Brown<\/li>\n
  115. Colleen Dewhurst<\/li>\n
  116. Anne of Green Gables<\/li>\n
  117. fountain pens<\/li>\n
  118. hay rides<\/li>\n
  119. Christmas carols that everyone knows<\/li>\n
  120. dirt roads<\/li>\n
  121. small Vermont towns<\/li>\n
  122. Chucks<\/li>\n
  123. British accents<\/li>\n
  124. Pididdles<\/li>\n
  125. flea markets<\/li>\n
  126. swimming holes with rope swings<\/li>\n
  127. trumpet mutes for jazz music<\/li>\n
  128. euphoniums<\/li>\n
  129. clauses<\/li>\n
  130. piano players<\/li>\n
  131. Steinway pianos<\/li>\n
  132. small town rituals<\/li>\n
  133. Christmas Eve services<\/li>\n
  134. church services lit only by lantern light<\/li>\n
  135. toast and orange juice when you are sick<\/li>\n
  136. first loves<\/li>\n
  137. fortune cookies<\/li>\n
  138. “I Love You” (in ASL)<\/li>\n
  139. Bill Cosby<\/li>\n
  140. ocean air<\/li>\n
  141. old wallpaper<\/li>\n
  142. fresh paint<\/li>\n
  143. silk pajamas<\/li>\n
  144. cameos with pictures<\/li>\n
  145. Broadway<\/li>\n
  146. thespians<\/li>\n
  147. snowball fights that end with hot cocoa<\/li>\n
  148. good books by dead people<\/li>\n
  149. fish<\/li>\n
  150. reading the Sunday paper on a beautiful morning by the pool<\/li>\n
  151. real Vermont maple syrup<\/li>\n
  152. imaginary friends<\/li>\n
  153. pulling on a pair of sweats<\/li>\n
  154. watching family reunions on TV talk shows<\/li>\n
  155. the sun reflecting off snow<\/li>\n
  156. Macy’s Thanksgiving day parade balloons<\/li>\n
  157. white and yellow roses<\/li>\n
  158. antique jewelry<\/li>\n
  159. The Cosby Show reruns<\/li>\n
  160. Family Ties reruns<\/li>\n
  161. little kids belief in Santa Claus<\/li>\n
  162. the Immaculate Conception<\/li>\n
  163. spell checkers on word processors<\/li>\n
  164. white picket fences<\/li>\n
  165. big red barns<\/li>\n
  166. Holstein cows<\/li>\n
  167. recycled paper<\/li>\n
  168. new age music<\/li>\n
  169. Greensleeves<\/li>\n
  170. the smell of lavender<\/li>\n
  171. patent leather Mary Janes<\/li>\n
  172. cities and towns named for the Old World<\/li>\n
  173. “Douglas Wambaugh for the…”<\/li>\n
  174. chocolate chip cookie dough – raw<\/li>\n
  175. Ben & Jerry’s ice cream<\/li>\n
  176. fiction stories by up and coming author’s printed in teen magazines<\/li>\n
  177. natural redheads<\/li>\n
  178. sugar cookies<\/li>\n
  179. goldfish<\/li>\n
  180. fresh oranges<\/li>\n
  181. velvet & silk<\/li>\n
  182. Tom Skerrit<\/li>\n
  183. lemons<\/li>\n
  184. snow angels<\/li>\n
  185. Harry Connick Jr<\/li>\n
  186. Kraft American Singles<\/li>\n
  187. wearing black<\/li>\n
  188. The Rimers of Eldrich by Lanford Wilson<\/li>\n
  189. music videos that are original<\/li>\n
  190. The 80s (and 70s) are over<\/li>\n
  191. Dr Seuss books<\/li>\n
  192. Psalms and Proverbs<\/li>\n
  193. facials<\/li>\n
  194. peanut butter and jelly sandwiches<\/li>\n
  195. good pictures<\/li>\n
  196. drawings made by little kids<\/li>\n
  197. hugs from little kids who think you are the greatest<\/li>\n
  198. ornaments made with construction paper, crayons, glitter, and Elmer’s school glue<\/li>\n
  199. play dough<\/li>\n
  200. sugar cookies with colored sugar<\/li>\n
  201. Snapple pink lemonade<\/li>\n
  202. Kosher food<\/li>\n
  203. clean sheets<\/li>\n
  204. warm towels<\/li>\n
  205. “dirt” pudding<\/li>\n
  206. pretend<\/li>\n
  207. shopping for Christmas gifts with your best friend in the rain<\/li>\n
  208. saltwater air<\/li>\n
  209. photographs of your friends<\/li>\n
  210. address books full of people who know you<\/li>\n
  211. books by Judy Blume<\/li>\n
  212. TV shows that aren’t about rich blonde dizzy people who live in Southern California<\/li>\n
  213. swimming pools with diving boards<\/li>\n
  214. fresh squeezed orange juice<\/li>\n
  215. absurd plays by men that don’t think you need to search for hidden meaning<\/li>\n
  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<\/li>\n
  217. finding lipstick in just the right shade of whatever color you happen to be looking for<\/li>\n
  218. chick flicks<\/li>\n
  219. not having to watch “grope ‘n kills” with your guy friends<\/li>\n
  220. “The Few, The Proud, The Marines”<\/li>\n
  221. a fresh box of baking soda in the fridge<\/li>\n
  222. screen sculptures of naked men<\/li>\n
  223. songs that touch your heart<\/li>\n
  224. the first bite of a piece of gum<\/li>\n
  225. Harry Potter movie trailers<\/li>\n
  226. actual proof my students have learned something<\/li>\n
  227. a student, who fought me for a year about learning keyboarding, thanking me a year later for teaching them the right way<\/li>\n
  228. thank you notes made by students<\/li>\n
  229. a vanilla creamie with rainbow sprinkles<\/li>\n
  230. a finished knitting project<\/li>\n
  231. the way it smells outside after a summer rain<\/li>\n
  232. having a staring contest with my cat<\/li>\n
  233. flip flops<\/li>\n
  234. my son<\/li>\n
  235. my baby’s smile<\/li>\n
  236. walks on a perfect summer day<\/li>\n
  237. bagpipes in the distance<\/li>\n
  238. my son<\/li>\n
  239. my baby\u2019s smile<\/li>\n
  240. walks on a perfect summer day<\/li>\n
  241. bagpipes in the distance<\/li>\n
  242. crisp fall days<\/li>\n
  243. my students doing well<\/li>\n
  244. back pain-free days<\/li>\n
  245. homemade apple pie<\/li>\n
  246. fresh macaroni and cheese<\/li>\n
  247. new books<\/li>\n
  248. computers that work consistently<\/li>\n
  249. having a president of color<\/li>\n
  250. the freedom to speak out against your government without fear (even if you are stupid)<\/li>\n
  251. watching my husband take care of our son<\/li>\n
  252. sleeping late while my husband takes care of our son<\/li>\n
  253. car trips<\/li>\n
  254. leaves changing color in the fall<\/li>\n
  255. maple cotton candy<\/li>\n
  256. comfortable shoes<\/li>\n
  257. going barefoot<\/li>\n
  258. fresh lemonade<\/li>\n
  259. apple fritters with ice cream<\/li>\n
  260. apple cider donuts<\/li>\n
  261. that first glimpse of Star Island<\/li>\n
  262. shiny blue bow ties<\/li>\n
  263. stepping into the air conditioning after being in the heat<\/li>\n
  264. small town parades<\/li>\n
  265. the 1812 Overture<\/li>\n
  266. fireworks<\/li>\n
  267. fresh warm raspberries<\/li>\n
  268. locating something you thought was lost for good<\/li>\n
  269. baby giggles<\/li>\n
  270. watching my boys play together<\/li>\n
  271. health<\/li>\n
  272. my preschooler’s jokes<\/li>\n
  273. sleepy “I love you”s<\/li>\n
  274. secret surprises<\/li>\n
  275. snuggling with my big little boy<\/li>\n
  276. homemade jelly from my students<\/li>\n
  277. pregnant bellies<\/li>\n
  278. automatic car starter on a cold icy day<\/li>\n
  279. maple oatmeal<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    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 Continue reading →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":3,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-219","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/strathconn.com\/lady\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/219","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/strathconn.com\/lady\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/strathconn.com\/lady\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/strathconn.com\/lady\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/strathconn.com\/lady\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=219"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/strathconn.com\/lady\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/219\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1061,"href":"https:\/\/strathconn.com\/lady\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/219\/revisions\/1061"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/strathconn.com\/lady\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}