What makes you happy? We all know the big things: good partner, financial security, good home, and good cell phone!
But there are lots of little things that make me happy, too…and I like to be happy! You may not care what they might be, but I just want to touch a chord with you and make you think of little happy things. Some of them could be quite unexpected.
I recently realized that good toilet paper in a public restroom makes me happy. I do like good toilet paper! But that doesn’t make up for the floor having the dirty corners you find in most public restrooms. Big mops in small places really don’t do the job. But let’s not dwell on what makes us unhappy. Clean corners make me happy along with the good toilet paper.
Doesn’t everybody get warm feelings when their credit card is just where it is supposed to be?
How about when you are really trying to get somewhere on time and remember you are low on gas? Then, you look at the gauge and recall you so wisely filled up yesterday.
How about when you need something for a recipe and, voila, there it is. Vanilla flavoring! Can of tomatoes! Popcorn for tonight! Small things, but let’s count our blessings.
Have you ever lived dangerously and waited until the next morning to print something that you absolutely were going to need that day, knowing that you were almost out of ink. O happy day! The printer spits out two copies of five pages without a hitch.
What are some other things?
Someone you think doesn’t like you comes up and says the nicest thing.
Finding the lost sock.
Zipping up pants that didn’t want to close last week.
Oh, happy day!
Filling the dishwasher and wiping down the counters before 8 p.m., so you can watch “Lincoln Lawyer” without a guilty conscience.
The happy really comes in the morning with a glistening kitchen.
Correctly identifying a fairly rare bird. Oh, what the heck, just seeing the birds enjoying the feeders and bird bath makes me happy. This was especially true during the recent cold spell. This is an acquired joy for me, but one I recommend.
How about three green lights in a row? Bull Street is the best place to try to find that treat.
What about a clean car inside and out?
A good joke? And one you can remember and repeat.
Everybody knows what finding a good parking space does for our outlook on life.
I can tell you what would really make me happy. Finding a pair of eight-hour shoes. I have several pairs of good-looking two-hour shoes that almost get me to church and back. I have a couple of Town Theater pairs that can go 4 to 5 hours. But I want to be happy on those 8-hour days. Is that asking too much?
Who doesn’t like the feel of a fresh shower, clean pajamas and clean sheets all on the same night? Sometimes hard to come by for me because I like to shower in the morning. Life is so hard!
If all else seems elusive, just go buy yourself an upscale candy bar, grab a good book, and let the world go by. Enjoy!
Jeanette Smith, 95, a Blythewood resident, has been active in the community’s civic affairs for over 50 years.
