Sunday, February 07, 2010

Happy Happy Joy Joy

My friend Amanda posted a list of 10 things that make her happy and said that anyone reading it should consider themselves tagged and make their own lists. Then I went over the Cheryl's blog and found I was tagged there, too! Here is mine! (these are definitely NOT in priority order)

10 THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY

  1. LISTS: Lists can really be useful for those of us who are easily distracted. A list can keep me on task, help me remember things longer than a minute, get something off my mind so that I can re-focus on what I'm supposed to be doing. I often keep a list during meetings of ideas/thoughts/stuff I need to do so that I can keep concentrating on the meeting w/o forgetting what bright little idea just occurred to me. I keep paper and a pencil handy on my nightstand so that I can make a list if something is keeping me awake at night (sometimes this doesn't work). Lists are also handy when you don't feel like writing prose.
  2. FAMILY: I am truly blessed to have a great family: parents, sibs, in-laws, and a wonderful husband and son. We have a great time when we are together, I miss them when we're apart, and I'm so lucky to have them all. I include our 2 cats in this category, too. Purring heat sources make me very happy.
  3. SIMON: He gets his own mention because. You know, just because. I am very proud of him. He is brilliant, fabulously talented, and even when things get tough, he will work to get through it. He's caring and thoughtful, too, for which I am extremely grateful.
  4. CREATING THINGS WITH MY HANDS: I love crafts, and knitting is, of course, my latest obsession. It's lasting longer than any other ever has, I think, and I'm actually making useful finished items, so it's better than many of the things I've gotten into before! I enjoy the creative process, but knitting also allows me to keep my hands busy even when my mind is doing something else.
  5. PERFORMING: I love being on stage, the center of attention, making people laugh, entertaining people. It makes me happy, regardless of the medium . . . puppets, storytelling, public speaking, music, comedy.
  6. WATER: Swimming, water therapy, water aerobics or just splashing around, it all makes me happy. There's something wonderful about being weightless. Also, it makes me happy that when you exercise in water you don't sweat . . . or at least you don't notice the sweat because you're already wet. Sweating does not make me happy.
  7. LEARNING: Actually, I do love learning new things. What makes me really happy, though, is watching/helping someone else learn something new. That is partly why I've enjoyed working with children so much. Young children learn new things every day, and it's delightful to watch that happen. It's like little miracles popping all around you.
  8. SMILES: This seems obvious, but maybe smiling makes me a little more happy than just average happiness. Isn't it great to make another person smile? or better yet, to make them laugh?
  9. SPONTANEITY: I get positively giddy on vacation when we can just roam, with money our pockets, and see where the road takes us. I love stopping at a road-side monument or finding some out-of-the-way diner or just deciding that "today we'll all speak with British accents". It's silly, and it's delightful.
  10. ASSURANCE: I believe that I know my eternal fate, and that assurance makes me happy, content in a way to which nothing on this earth could ever compare. Those of you who know me well already know what I'm talking about, but if anyone ever wants to talk about this with me, please ask!
Thanks for tagging me, Cheryl and Amanda! If you're reading this, consider yourself tagged. What 10 things make you happy?

4 comments:

Cheryl said...

Hey Cathy - glad you did this too :) I also love lists and I admire your ability and love of public speaking. It's always on my list of things that terrify me!

katie said...

Great list, Cathy! Why didn't I think of "lists" when I did my 10? I would not be happy without my lists!

Also like that you put "learning". That's a great one.

Jim Brochowski said...

Cool list. I'll have to put this one in my back pocket and use it one day myself.

I know I'm a few posts late with this, but I'm really glad to see you blogging again. :-)

Amanda said...

Great list! It also makes me happy reading everyone's Happy lists :) And I'll just jump on the bandwagon admit I too love making lists :)