Photo by Andre Furtado on Pexels.com
The first two months of 2020 have been stressful for me, for a number of reasons. Today I was scrolling through twitter and I saw someone asking their followers about things that make them happy. Of course this made me reflect on what makes me happy. What are they? Well aside from raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens:
- Chocolate
- Romantic Comedies (good ones, if they’re really bad they can end up making me depressed!)
- Hot beverages on a cold day
- Old movies
- Sitcom reruns (great for writing to, and great for anxiety: who wouldn’t want to live in a world where problems are solved in 30 minutes?)
- Binge watching
- Binge reading
- When I find just the right book to suit my mood
- Writing, when things just flow
- Having written, seeing the finished product and presenting it to the world
- The way a book feels different physically once I’ve read it
- Ordering take out and eating it while watching TV
- Musicals (even the sad ones make me happy) preferably live but recordings are good too
- Fantasy and fairy tales
- Yoga
- When someone says something nice about Beautiful and/or leaves a positive review
- Costume dramas
- When my favorite books are adapted well for film or television
I realized that focusing on the little things that make you happy, like I did for this post, can improve your mood a bit. So for the sake of your mood and mine, what are some things that make you happy?
Fran Laniado- Author 
what a lovely post! I went for a walk today with my dog and got well and truly blown around in the fields which felt very free. You’re right a book does feel different when you’ve finished it, odd but true!!
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That does sound nice!
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Good stuff you have here!
-A drainboard full of freshly washed dishes (oddly satisfying!)
-Listening to podcasts while doing chores
-Writing when characters come to life and do something random
-fun clothes
-reading a chapter a day of the book of Isaiah
-the view of buttes on the horizon, visible from our front window
-seeing my kids’ personalities develop
And yes, positive book reviews do feel great! And yes, the writer’s life comes with its own special stresses! Best to you.
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Great list! I don’t have a drainboard because my kitchen counter is so small. I usually put the dishes away directly after I wash/dry them. Now I sort of feel like I’m missing out on something!
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Ha ha ha!
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A good knitting session can make me really happy. I get the boost of being productive, plus I love the feel of playing with yarn. (I’m at the point in my knitting life where I don’t usually buy yarn unless I like the feel of it. So sometimes I’ll just pet my knitting because it’s soft and fluffy and makes me happy. 🙂 )
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Haha! I never thought of “petting knitting” as a hobby but I suppose it works if it makes you happy!
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Well, I mean the hobby is doing the knitting itself, but it comes with the side benefit of petting the end product. 😉
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