What are 5 everyday things that bring you happiness?
This prompt sounds familiar yet again, however, my life has been continually changing and getting better so I’m pretty certain that my 5 things today aren’t all the same as the ones I wrote about whenever this prompt first surfaced.
I think this time, if I didn’t do it before, I’m going to list 5 literal things. Like, things I can touch. Not the spiritual kind of ones like free time, an easy job, etc.
These are in no particular order:
#1 The chair in my backyard under the Magnolia tree.
That’s where I am right this moment and it sits next to a little patio table and another chair for my husband. I sit in this chair every day with my feet propped up on a makeshift footstool. Sitting out here serves two purposes. I keep our two dogs company while they have their grand outdoor adventures and I can be productive. Either by productively scrolling videos on social media, or writing posts on here (thank you fiber optic wi-fi that is so much better than cable internet). Many times I just bring a book to read.
#2 Books!
Right now it is still Wicked but since I started taking time to sit out here and relax, it has been several different books. There are quite a few on my shelves inside that will see this outdoor space soon. I loved reading as a child. Really, my whole life. It doesn’t compute for me how people are just now “getting into reading” as some of the people in the Book Lovers group on Facebook have said. I have always been a book worm. And I am madly in love with the fact that there is literally nothing that I have to read. No books that I’m previewing for my students. No grad school books. No book studies that my old boss made us read and discuss at faculty meetings for “spiritual development”. Just whatever book I want to read. I’m currently alternating between fiction and non-fiction. After I finish Wicked I’ll probably pick an autobiography off my shelf to read next. I love those.
#3 Stationary
I love pens and note cards and stickers and paper and all the things. In fact, my Bring Back Snail Mail! post dives more into this love of mine. It’s not an everyday thing that I use, but all of that stuff is in my office/craft room (I really need a better name for that room). I can go in there at any time and grab a pen and write a postcard to somebody. Just the fact that it’s all there (and organized!) makes me happy.
#4 Yarn
I really enjoy knitting and crocheting and have a project that I’m working on for the Loose Ends group. Family members who have lost loved ones send a request to the group to find someone to finish a craft project that their family member left behind. The blanket I am currently finishing is for a family whose mother is actually still alive but is unable to finish the blanket. They say there is no deadline/timeline but this lady is in her 90s and I don’t want to take too long because she is very happy and excited that someone is finishing it for her. I’m getting close to being done. It’s making me happy right now.
#5 My iPad with the keyboard attachment
I love this thing! The case has a full keyboard and a touchpad that I really don’t use because I’m more used to touching the iPad screen than using a cursor and a “mouse”. This is so much more portable and easy to use on the couch and in the backyard than getting my laptop set up on my lap desk.
Honorable mention goes to my journal. I don’t write in it every day, but I always have it near me in case there’s something I feel I need to write about.
These 5 (or 6) things would make up the perfect day if that’s all I had to do. They’re simple, yet make me so happy.
Leave a Reply