Trixieland

By ‘sweat’ I don’t mean get all freaked out. I mean enjoy the small stuff, like you would a soak in a jacuzzi or that endorphine high after a great workout.

Here are some little things that make me happy. I’ve trained myself to pause a moment and enjoy them.

• Crushed ice – Turns any beverage into a slushy delight. I’ve joked that I’d drink pee if it was over crushed ice.
• Great-smelling shampoo – Envelope your noggin in a cloud of delicious.
• Seeing the moon in the daytime – Oh hello there, night-time friend.
• When the baby learns a new word – Last night she debuted two new ones: Moon “moo” and Froggy “woggy”
• Singing in the car – No one can hear you; bust it out!
• Learning something new – It doesn’t have to be Sanskrit or string theory. Today I learned how to geo-target Facebook posts. Schwing!
• Unexpected sunshine – In Seattle, this can boost your mood 10x.
• A perfect french fry – Look no further than McDonald’s.
• A triple peanut – An extra lumpy mutant with a bonus nut. Rare and fabulous.

 

• Accidental weight loss – Not due to illness, but when your pants zip a little easier one morning. Surprise!
• Favorite song on the radio – Out of nowhere, you hear the opening notes of your all-time fave. For me it’s “Brown-Eyed Girl”
• Money – Finding any bill bigger than a one in your pocket that you forgot about.
• Kissing sleeping babies – Lucky me I get to do this every night…for now. They grow up.
• Cats washing their face – How cute is this? Also adorable: cats chasing dust motes in a sunbeam.
• Funny stuff – Laughing is awesome. Even better is a funny thing that’s funny over and over. Someone I follow on twitter once told me her family refers to Law & Order as “donk-donk”, and L&O: SVU as “donk-donk in the butt”. EVERY time I hear the “donk-donk” sound, I crack up.
• Waking up – Yeah it’s a pain when you haven’t had enough sleep or have a tough day ahead, but hey! You’re breathing! You get another day on the planet to kick some ass and find some little stuff to make you happy – even if it’s just for a minute.

So, dear readers, what little things make you happy? Cracking open the first Diet Coke of the day? Thinking you’ve eaten the last M&M but finding one left in the bag? Winning a belching contest?