Monday, July 18, 2011

TAKING A DAY OFF, & THINKING ABOUT WHAT MAKES US HAPPY

Dear Hubby had to go to Houston again this week, but this time he was only staying two nights, so on the spur of the moment, I decided to hop in the car with him!  I haven't been to a mall or department store, or eaten any Asian food since before Christmas, and haven't seen my son since Easter!  I think tomorrow is going to be a very good day.

I'll be back Wednesday afternoon, but in the meantime, I have something I want you to be thinking about.  I have a very precious niece who just turned 13, and one thing I love most about her is her positive attitude and her knack for finding joy.  If you were to spend even one hour with her, I guarantee you would hear her say "This makes me really happy!"  In fact, she's got my whole family saying it now.  She's rarely talking about anything major, either.  It's usually as simple as the way something tastes or feels. I think she's quite gifted, don't you?

Since I also think that the most important step towards living the good life is being able to do just that -- find pleasure in the small, simple things -- I've been thinking about doing a weekly post about some of the small things that give me the most pleasure.  I think I'll call it "This Makes Me Happy", in honor of Miss M.  Know what would make me really, really happy?  If you guys would leave comments, sharing some of your own simple pleasures as well!  In fact, you might want to start a list, so you can jot them down as you think of them.  Maybe we'll even have an occasional guest post!

6 comments:

david said...

A Shiner Ruby Redbird foaming inside of a frosted mug as I sit with my wife on our front porch on a 75 degree evening watching the sun vanish to the West.

Anonymous said...

This (post) makes me happy ~ Gus

Marguerite said...

Sitting on the deck of our house in Austin on a Sunday morning, looking at our panoramic view, having a light breakfast and coffee and it's about 70 degrees with a slight breeze. That's what started our whole remodeling idea, soon to be our reality!

Hill Country Hippie said...

You guys are making me very happy with your comments -- got some more on facebook too!

Anonymous said...

That was an excellently written essay, thank you so much.

Hill Country Hippie said...

Via Facebook:
o Jean Ohm: picking and eating produce from my garden really makes me happy
o Becky Thomas Lane: Me too! Even the one single perfect strawberry I found this week, when I thought the season was over and done with.
o Nellie Gonsoulin Hartsell: ‎1. Seeing the happiness my daughter's fiance has brought into her life makes me happy 2. reconnecting with "old friends" (i.e. you!) makes me happy 3. cooking for friends makes me happy 4. reading your blogs makes me happy 5. being off from work in the summer makes me happy!