Dang–I can’t believe one of my favorite books is almost 20 years old. That makes me feel old. I remember buying it when I was in high school. Anyway, once upon a time I picked up a copy of 14,000 Things to Be Happy About by Barbara Ann Kipfer. I have to admit it’s been a while since I’ve flipped through the pages but thought I’d share my own happy list which I started geez–eighteen years ago. Granted, some of these things might not make any sense to you but maybe it’ll inspire you to start your own happy list.
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Basically, your happy list is a recording of all the little things that make you happy. It’s really quite interesting to read through my list to see what made me happy a long time ago. It’s sort of like a happy timeline. In the introduction of her book Barbara writes, “As you read through these pages, give yourself time to conjure up your own images–to reminisce, wish, and dream. I hope you will find, as I did, that happiness comes from noticing and enjoying the little things in life.”
Wouldn’t it be something if I managed to create a blog post, website or Squidoo lens based on everything in my happy list? Wow! Now there’s a crazy idea . . .
Well, here goes: (BTW–if you have your own happy list I’d love for you to leave a link in the comments below!)
hockey game sounds
Snoopy
hook rugs
jigsaw puzzles
pen pals
never having too many baseball caps
Far Side cartoons
Shel Silverstein
your old sticker collection
a crush that lasts for years
Coca-Cola in a glass bottle
cherry popsicles
the little line on the “top” side of socks
fireplaces
wallet photos
secrets
snow days
animal photos
bluegrass bands
log cabins
Alaska
dumb magic tricks
learning how to juggle
quad drums
marching bands
forest green
Michigan State University
forestry professors
concert tickets
banjo players
Tennessee State flag
flannel shirts
making your own wedding favors
not caring one way or another
patience
heat vents
more than one right way
do-overs
thundestorms
almost perfect but not quite
simple truths
bushy tailed dogs
extra cheese pizza
trees
nacho dip
surprise Grand Ole Opry guests
Albert Einstein quotes
CD collections
libraries
bookstores
keychains
knowing every sound that your car makes
hockey playoffs
knowing that no one on earth is exactly like you
reused wrapping paper
dream catchers
Country Time lemonade
hand made bracelets
bagels and cream cheese
Indoobubedly!
the way men sip out of straws
flotation devices
a balanced checkbook
staples
Steve Martin LIVE
pull chains
Tigers home opener = first day of spring
the element of surprise
Forrest Gump
name tags
sleeping in
Crayola crayons
white out
KOA cabins
weathervanes
pea pods
Biltmore sticks
AA survivors
hand sanitizer
recycled paper
a nap with the cat
righty-tighty, lefty-loosey
Goretex
passing lanes
Metropark annual stickers
chance encounters
lunchtime in the woods on the tailgate
Gregg Stoll stories
turn signals
payday
moccasin slippers
grown men holding balloons
wind-full sails
peeled oranges
mini-notebooks
new car smell
four-color pens
remembering the names of every teacher you had in elementary school
gardening books
sno-cones
time to think
Tigger
rubberband wars
water balloons
music teachers
stain remover
Chex mix
saying a word over and over until it makes no sense
roman numerals
when your ship comes in
friendly toll booth attendants
umbrellas
footprints
paws
roller coasters
steering wheels
when the heat comes on
people who don’t want to change you
manual transmission
middle school hair
address labels
self-stick stamps
“say when”
one size fits all
yellow and blue makes green
summer nights
watercolor sunrises and sunsets
soccer cleats
photosynthesis
the tilt of the earth
dad weather forecasts
I-96
high school biology labs
plastic-bead mitosis models
FORD = first on recall day
FORD = found on road dead
FORD = fixed or repaired daily
refrigerator magnets
the first day of vacation feeling
bunny slopes
being the last one to go to bed
tow ropes
peeing in the woods
the perfect gift
Elvis impersonators
off the beaten path
disco
giving directions
“never mind”
coin counters
believing in something
“see the USA in your Chevrolet”
finished homework
Fahgeddaboutit!
going the back way
Oreos
“thank you”
Green Eggs and Ham
straight as the crow flies
premature grey hair
student discounts
little things
when a good song comes on the radio
“Does anybody want a sandwich?”
dimple chins
bear hugs
“oops”
old school papers
Wubba-dubb-dubbena-three-men-in-a-tubbena
contagious laughter
clothes shute
being a sleepyhead
pleasant park patrons
“he shoots–he scores!”
semi-truck horns
seeing the forest in spite of trees
Seinfeld episodes
reading a book more than 3 times
faith
“I’ll be right back”
cave tour guides
“Oh well”
foreign accents
without a doubt
Vince Gill
bubblewrap
hoping for the best
Sit ‘n’ Spin
Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane
“50 Nifty United States”
a full tank of gas
“Gadzooks!”
going sledding when there’s no snow
finding your keys
Girl Scout cookies
the way you can 1/4 a banana
autographs
green lights
not knowing what day of the week it is because you’re on vacation
being picky
rotating a plate of food so you can get at a certain item
cutting up spaghetti into little pieces
“Such is life”
your favorite pen
Cleveland Amory
polite clients
unbelievable occurences
when you know everything is going to turn out right
watching it snow
the last day of final exams, EVER
the Tootsie Pop lady
Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle
new trucks
things you can’t put into words
silence
back massages
rain on a sunny day
swivel chairs
baby steps
three legged cats
the first time you drive your new car
colorforms
passionate people
Bill Nye the Science Guy
mixed breed dogs
dog kisses
a cat that never gives up
Do-bee-do-bee-do
your own bed
coming home
books
cat fat pouches
bed conversations
pop in tall glass bottles
“Dee-troit Basketball”
making a savings deposit
getting a new oil change window sticker
sleeping in with your pets
letting people slowly discover who you are
the day after your wedding
your Dad being the loudest singer in church
the Friday feel
when the dishes are done
when the cash drawer balances
empty laundry baskets
filling up your pet’s water bowl
the sound of a dog eating a carrot
watching the fire
new shoes
your husband reading Harry Potter
animal sanctuaries
going back to school
toasted almonds in chicken fruit salad
packing a lunch the night after grocery shopping
humble role models
doing your job well
bookends
grilled turkey burgers
getting published
having balance
click pens
knowing he’ll always be there
visiting your old schools
hidden talents
bookmarks
Robert Fulghum books
book: Wally Lamb “I Know This Much is True”
being dependable but not always predictable
saying thank you like you mean it
lessons learned
Detroit Red Wings
Mickey Redmond
J.R.R. Tolkien
apples fresh from the orchard
Brian Regan
not caring what time it is
naming your kitten
scrub brushes
people who don’t complain
getting settled in
big salads
the cat who thinks he can hide under the bathroom rug
goofy hats
bookcases
learning from experience
body pillows
discovering a long lost item
“Notification of Payment Received”
seeing your website on the first page of Google
your last car payment
clean litter boxes
Photoshop 6.0
3 Comments
I absolutely love Shel Silverstein! I read ‘Where the Sidewalk Ends’ all the time growing up. Steve Martin’s great, too. I’ve never seen him live, but My Blue Heaven is one of my favorite (cheesy comedy) movies. You could easily have a whole blog dedicated to your list- with stories about why these things make you happy.
Yeah one of these days I’m going to do it!
If you like Steve Martin you would also appreciate Brian Regan. He’s one of my favorite comedians of all time. Steve Martin also just released an album of banjo music that sounds pretty interesting. My fav musician Vince Gill appears on the album too . . .
Thanks for visiting!
I’ll have to check out Brian Regan, comedy shows are one of my favorite weekend activities. Not too sure about the banjo music, though. I’ll take your word for it.
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