32 Things That Make Me Happy

I am prone to rants. Some days I find it much easier to dwell on little things that drive me crazy than little things that make me happy. I have been really trying to work on this and am already on day 35 of my #100happydays challenge. When I read Two Thirds Hazel's recent post, I decided to join the party and highlight some of the things that I've noticed genuinely make me happy in my day to day life.

In no particular order, here are 32 things that make me happy:

1. Traveling. Anywhere at all and I need to start doing more of it. More fun, less fear, right?

2. Freshly Painted Nails. I grew up concerned with how much dirt I could get under my nails,  making mud pies & climbing the tangerine trees. I'm making up for lost time now & can't go more than 5 days without repainting my nails.

3. The Beach On A Sunny Winter Day. Yes, I said winter. No crowds, sparkling water, less litter and just a quiet place to think, escape and reflect.

4. The Beach On A Hot Summer Day. Although there aren't quite enough days in the summer for my pasty, red headed body to get a legit tan I love the beach on a hot day as much as I do on a crisp day.

5. My Friends.

6. John Mayer. Even if it's a song about heartbreak or his rambling thoughts interjected throughout one of his shows, John Mayer's mellowing voice just makes me happy.

7. Blog Comments. How could I hate affirmation from others that I'm not the only person thinking about a certain topic or criticism that might give me a different view on things (okay, fine, I hate criticism).

8. Sunday Brunch. Especially when it involves cinnamon roll pancakes.

9. Stump Trivia. I'm not very good at it and I'm not even creative enough to think of a funny team name but I will also say yes if you ask me to do trivia.

10. Homemade Guacamole. I swear I could live off of tortilla chips & guacamole. There's just something about the creamy amazing-ness of a ripe avocado mixed with salsa & herbs slathered on a crispy chip that just speaks to me.

11. This guy. Endless amounts of happiness. 

12. Free Shipping Without Any Minimum Order. Makes me feel less guilty about the occasional online shopping binge and my closet a whole lot happier.

13. Entering Contests. I become so invested and convinced that I will win any contest I enter. Even though I typically never win I just love having that hope (however short lived it actually is).

14. Freedom.

15. Iced Coffee. I literally need 5 alarms to go off - 3 of which I'll have no recollection of turning off - before I can even consider dragging myself out of bed & into the shower, turning off every light my roommates already turned on along the way. And so iced coffee makes me happy. Really happy.

16. Gift Tags From Santa. I hope my mom never stops writing tags from Santa...and with her left hand just to throw us off.

17. Thunderstorms. A rainy day full of thunder and lightning with nowhere to go is just about the best excuse to hang out and relax.

18. Owning A Car. And all of the freedom that comes with it. The fact that I can spur of the moment take a road trip or buy way too many items at Target without worrying about transportation is amazing.

19. Margaritas & Sangria. Especially while drinking them on a patio during the warmer months.

20. My Office. I'm not going to go so far as to say that working makes me happy but it could be a heck of a lot worse. Having access to foosball & ping pong make it easy to be re-energized when I'm hitting a mid-afternoon slump.

21. Fires In The Fireplace. If I had to list things that I miss about living at home, this would be at the top of my list. There's just something about the hissing & crackling of a fire on a cold night that I love.

22. Family.

23. Saving Money. I want to buy a house someday. I want to travel more. I enjoy good food. And any time I can set aside some money for these things it makes me happy.

24. Boston. There is so much to be said for this city and I'm luck every day I get to live here.

 

25. Facetime. Having a boyfriend in a different state has made me appreciate this technology more than ever. 

26. Being Tall. I cannot explain how happy I am that I do not have to worry about not being able to reach the overhead railing to hold onto while riding the T each day...and not having to wear high heels. 

27. Pumpkin Beer. So worth the extra calories during the few months you can actually buy it.

28. Parallel Parking On The First Try.

29. Mail. Getting physical mail via post that isn't a bill is the best feeling ever. Even when it's something that I'm expecting and bought online, it still puts a smile on my face every time.

30. Kayaking. Any form of exercise that is enjoyable and doesn't feel like exercise gets the stamp of approval from me.

31. Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups. Or anything sweet at all.

32. Weekends. And what better way to celebrate than to toast to tomorrow being Friday?!

What makes you happy?

Challenge: Are You Too Busy To Be Happy?

Today is Day 8 of my 100 Days of Happiness Challenge. I am officially over a week in and already enjoying going back to remind myself of happy moments over this past week. It also has me looking ahead to fun activities and opportunities that will keep me smiling.

Admittedly - and I'm kind of embarrassed to admit it - my initial reaction to seeing friends post pictures with the #100happydays trend was "are you trying to prove something?" or "is this some kind of who has a better life competition?" Once I'd seen more than a handful of "happy" photos flood my Instagram I actually decided to do some research about the challenge. All I had to read on the website to be completely hooked was the following stat:

It's hard to believe that anyone could be "too busy" to be happy and yet I can just hear myself saying I "didn't have time" to take a solitary photo for Day 9 or 10, etc. It takes less than 30 seconds to snap a photo and upload it to some form of social media. And yes, I realize you can be happy and not take a picture but this just seems like a nice thing to try and follow through on.

The challenge has made me recognize and appreciate the little things in life more - things like a pretty landscape, a free coffee and bagel and time spent with people I love. Oftentimes, it's the things that drive me crazy or make me unhappy that are more obvious to me but this exercise in happiness has made me realize that sometimes I take the little moments of happiness for granted.

Above are some of the happier moments - planned and unplanned - from this past week that have kept me going. It's also a relief to not over think each moment and just snap a photo when the time is right without worrying too much about the lighting in the photo or how the colors appear.

You'll just have to follow along and see what the above photos meant to me and what else I have to share with you along the way to Day 100! I'm hoping to keep the daily photos going long after the challenge is completed. Is anyone else trying the 100 Days of Happiness Challenge? I'd love to hear what makes you happy each day & if you're not thinking about it, I challenge you to try this!