50 Things that Make Me Happy

     Life is a whirlwind. All too often we get swept up and lose focus. Not often enough do we take the time to sit back for a few minutes and appreciate everything we have- everything that brings us even the smallest joys in our lives. I think that this is a huge mistake.

     Something that is both on my life list and on 25 before 25 was being able to identify 50 things that make me happy. I actually completed this list a couple months ago, before Lela was born. Life has changed since then and there are now more things than ever that make me happy. I'll just have to make a longer list!

     So, here it is! They are in no particular order- except as you get toward the end, in which they are ordered only in which came to mind first:

50 Things that Make Me Happy

1.       My first car



2.       Chef Boyardee

3.       Moments of schadenfreude

4.       New episodes of my favorite TV Shows

 

   5.       My husband

          6.       And the silly lyrics he makes up to popular songs

          7.       And the silly sayings he comes up with (etc. etc.)

    8.     Macaroni and cheese

          9.       Dr. Pepper 10

          10.   When brussel sprouts are cooked correctly

          11.   Knowing my goal for getting an education is not to make money, but to help others


          12.   Contacts



# 13, Photo Courtesy Stephen Unger

       13.   My turtle Shelly

 

14.   Doggie

15.   Chocolate Milk

16.   Bras

17.   My family

18.   My friends (the few yet irreplaceable)

19.   My Cat Jack

     20.   Cooking (but not cleaning)

     21.   Knowing that there is hope

     22.   Sleep

     23.   Low blood pressure

     24.   Being warm

     25.   Cultural Acceptance

     26.   Getting an unexpected 'A'

 

27.   Lela

 

28.   A clean house

29.   Funny Movies

30.   Peace and uneventfulness

31.   Laughing

32.   Milk with ice
 

33.   Subliminal reminders that we are all human

34.   Freedom of religion

35.   Empathy

36.   Feeling healthy

     37.   Mr. Polar Bear

     38.   Dragonflies

     39.   A good sale

     40.   Not wasting money

     41.   Having clean ears

     42.   Doing thoughtful things for someone else

 

43.   My School

44.   Observing the simple/less obvious things
 

45.   Turtles in general

46.   Oldies

47.   90s nonsensical song lyrics

48.   Finding something I've lost

49.   Adding –ness to the end of a word




 

50.   Discovering a perfect snowflake has just fallen on me

What makes you happy?

Do you have a list? Link Up!

An Interesting Find

     In my restlessness I was organizing some boxes that we still haven't unpacked from our move back in August (can you tell that we can't wait to move out of here?) when I came across the planner I used my senior year in high school. It had been touched by the flood that wrecked havoc on our basement last spring, so the pages had blended together and were water damaged. I briefly flipped through it and lo-and-behold, look what I came across:

If I remember correctly, the picture that seeped through from the other side of the page is a sketch I drew of John Steinbeck based on his portrait on the back of one of his books.

     Ladies and Gentleman, Stephanie's Senior Year Bucket List 2006! It goes all the way up to 100. It seems like high school senior Stephanie and college senior Stephanie still have some things in common.

Some things that are on the old bucket list that are already on the current one:

#1. Write a Memoir
#3. Visit all 50 states
#15. Donate hair to Locks of Love
#30. Own a House
#43. Take a Photo Every Day
#58. Send a Postcard to Postsecret

Some things that are on the old bucket list that I actually did, even though I forgot all about the list:

#14. Learn how to Cook Vietnamese Soup

#17. Go to a Concert

#21. Work in a Jewelry Department

#31. Go Scuba Diving

#35. Adopt an Abandoned Animal

#83. Start a Charm Bracelet

Some things that are silly:

#18. Make a Music video Featuring my Life or my Feelings

#51. Become a Grand Master at Suduko

#69. Never Turn Down an Opportunity to Try a New Food

#72. Get to the End of Endless Bejeweled

#90. Pet a Lion

#93. Try Camel Meat

A few things that I would like to add to my current list:

#37. Stand up for Something I Truly Believe In

#48. Identify 100 Things that Make Me Happy

#70. See the President in Person

#80. Love my Job

#82. Start a Family Tradition

#100. Pass on a Legacy

     A few comments: Something I found interesting was how subjective some of the items on the first list were. Maybe I've become too philosophical since high school, but what defines happiness? What is considered a legacy? If I love my job one day can I cross it off the list, and what if I love it but then end up hating it? I find the things on the new list are a bit easier to measure. It's easier to tell when I've graduated college or gotten a million dollars in assets.

    Before I came across this list I was debating whether or not I would allow myself to change my current list if I didn't want to do something on it in the future. I think that I have to allow myself that flexibility, else I would be stuck with a goal that may no longer be obtainable or enjoyable for me to strive for (ex. try camel meat??).