Things That Make Me Happy
Yesterday I was whining about Things That Annoy Me. Today I shall write something different. Here are some Things That Make Me Happy:
A good night's sleep. That makes me sound like an old lady, right? But truthfully, a bad night's sleep wrecks my whole day, my whole attitude, my very outlook on life. Last night I cruelly put the dog in the garage (with bed and water) when she started up with the barking at 10:30. I could tell by the tone of her voice that she was just getting warmed up for another long night of scolding me for leaving her home while we thoughtlessly vacationed, sans canine. I did hear the occasional muffled "woof" but it did not interrupt my slumber. And just to prove that a good night's sleep makes me happy, here I sit, at 8:09 a.m., writing this!
Pouring rain. Yes, I realize that I like to complain about Pittsburgh's dreary climate, like yesterday when it was 85 degrees and dark, in the middle of the day, due to omnipresent cloud cover. But a good soaking rain is just glorious! Right now the yard is just dripping wet, the foliage verdant, the woods misty and dense. My flowers (the ones I haven't killed yet) are standing at attention, their heads no longer drooping, their leaves no longer wilted. And after it rains, for some reason, the birds love to sing like crazy! It sounds like the Amazon out there right now! Maybe the birds are going hog-wild over the worms that pop out of the ground after a good deluge. Whatever the reason, it makes me feel like running around the grass in my bare feet.
Eggplant. Love the food, love the color. I used to have a great wool suit in eggplant, back when I first emerged from law school and trod the corridors of a big city law firm. It had a swirly skirt and a short fitted jacket that said I had attitude and style and was just a tad unconventional for my milieu.
Noah smiling. Actually any of my kids smiling, but Noah is my quiet child. We tell him he's our good son. Never makes waves, never loses his temper. A very even-keeled kind of person. But he only smiles when he really means it, when something makes him very happy or really cracks him up. And when he does, you no longer need light bulbs because the room becomes all aglow.
When someone tells me there is no way I have a kid in college because I look too young. You may think that this is an incredibly shallow thing to make me happy, but when you consider the alternative (you mean you're not a grandmother yet?) these kinds of comments make me feel pretty good.
Phil & Josh playing their cellos together. This thrills me on so many levels. I adore the cello. It calms me. It makes me want to close my eyes and just be. But it's not just the music. When they play together, Phil acts the mentor and Josh the student. While I'm in the next room doing the dishes, I listen to Phil making suggestions, praising Josh's notes, Josh asking questions, then they start playing together and to state the obvious that it is music to my ears doesn't scratch the surface of the joy I feel when those two are together. I know they are friends, and neither of them will ever be alone as long as the other walks this earth.
And last but certainly not least, I have to mention Sam, my oldest. If he ever reads this and doesn't see his name listed as a Thing That Makes Me Happy, he will be, to paraphrase Humperdink in The Princess Bride, very put out. But he knows how happy he makes me. We are of one mind, and when I see him showing his brothers the way through life, well, what else is there, really? I've done my job, and now he's doing his. I am happy indeed.
A good night's sleep. That makes me sound like an old lady, right? But truthfully, a bad night's sleep wrecks my whole day, my whole attitude, my very outlook on life. Last night I cruelly put the dog in the garage (with bed and water) when she started up with the barking at 10:30. I could tell by the tone of her voice that she was just getting warmed up for another long night of scolding me for leaving her home while we thoughtlessly vacationed, sans canine. I did hear the occasional muffled "woof" but it did not interrupt my slumber. And just to prove that a good night's sleep makes me happy, here I sit, at 8:09 a.m., writing this!
Pouring rain. Yes, I realize that I like to complain about Pittsburgh's dreary climate, like yesterday when it was 85 degrees and dark, in the middle of the day, due to omnipresent cloud cover. But a good soaking rain is just glorious! Right now the yard is just dripping wet, the foliage verdant, the woods misty and dense. My flowers (the ones I haven't killed yet) are standing at attention, their heads no longer drooping, their leaves no longer wilted. And after it rains, for some reason, the birds love to sing like crazy! It sounds like the Amazon out there right now! Maybe the birds are going hog-wild over the worms that pop out of the ground after a good deluge. Whatever the reason, it makes me feel like running around the grass in my bare feet.
Eggplant. Love the food, love the color. I used to have a great wool suit in eggplant, back when I first emerged from law school and trod the corridors of a big city law firm. It had a swirly skirt and a short fitted jacket that said I had attitude and style and was just a tad unconventional for my milieu.
Noah smiling. Actually any of my kids smiling, but Noah is my quiet child. We tell him he's our good son. Never makes waves, never loses his temper. A very even-keeled kind of person. But he only smiles when he really means it, when something makes him very happy or really cracks him up. And when he does, you no longer need light bulbs because the room becomes all aglow.
When someone tells me there is no way I have a kid in college because I look too young. You may think that this is an incredibly shallow thing to make me happy, but when you consider the alternative (you mean you're not a grandmother yet?) these kinds of comments make me feel pretty good.
Phil & Josh playing their cellos together. This thrills me on so many levels. I adore the cello. It calms me. It makes me want to close my eyes and just be. But it's not just the music. When they play together, Phil acts the mentor and Josh the student. While I'm in the next room doing the dishes, I listen to Phil making suggestions, praising Josh's notes, Josh asking questions, then they start playing together and to state the obvious that it is music to my ears doesn't scratch the surface of the joy I feel when those two are together. I know they are friends, and neither of them will ever be alone as long as the other walks this earth.
And last but certainly not least, I have to mention Sam, my oldest. If he ever reads this and doesn't see his name listed as a Thing That Makes Me Happy, he will be, to paraphrase Humperdink in The Princess Bride, very put out. But he knows how happy he makes me. We are of one mind, and when I see him showing his brothers the way through life, well, what else is there, really? I've done my job, and now he's doing his. I am happy indeed.
posted by calabresewoman | 5:04 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home