Ten Things That Make Me Smile

Having a clipboard when I need one

Suitcases with wheels. Watching old movies in which everyone has to carry theirs.

Having a decent passport picture this time around

That my co-worker is antagonizing our Indian colleagues over the upcoming India/Pakistan cricket match. Methinks they'll give him his due sometime in an unexpected way during an unexpected time.

Finding excuses to buy new stationary

Hearing my dad had a successful auction and sold the antiques/collectibles he wanted to sell that he's been accumulating for years in his den.

Having my cell phone charger when I need it.

Unsweetened grapefruit juice. Sometimes I like to taste the sour in order to appreciate the sweet.

The fancy spare tire holders on the outside of expensive RVs. I always wonder how old the tires are inside and hope the owners check them periodically for rot.

Elf ears

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

Making it to the post office before they closed for the day

Finding the lid to my coffee mug so I could drink coffee while heading to the post office 10 minutes before it closed.

The whole wheat waffles I'm going to make tonight for supper and 100% real maple syrup I'm going to have with them.

Time for reflection on things I didn't want to have to think about but have been forced to. Self honesty is such a hard thing sometimes, but necessary.

Wearing sandals and forgoing socks for many warm months to come

Holding that special someone close all night. Gotta love my hubby :)

Feeling my feelings rather than pushing them away when I don't want to feel them

Victoria's Secret sales

Dogwoods blooming and birds chirping in their branches

A good night's sleep in fuzzy PJs

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

Newly sharpened pencils

When the storm ends and a rainbow decides to show up

Purses big enough for a the stuff I always carry around. Almost to the point of having two computers with me at all times.

Yard sales when I'm not looking for yard sales, especially when I have spare change in my cup holder.

Cheese pizza on Friday's of Lent

Looking forward to sleeping in a little tomorrow

Writing a long letter to a friend

Animated mice

Remembering the first time I went roller skating and how bruised I was afterward

Listening to cassette tapes of myself as a little kid. I apparently broke into song at random times all the time as I child, much more so than my husband admits to doing as a child. I'm taking this comparison with a grain of salt.

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

Blue potato chips

Nice smelling shampoo

Gummy bears

Cashing checks I wasn't expecting

Receiving a card or letter in the mail when I wasn't expecting one

Cadbury Eggs

Reference books with logs of pictures

Remembering those old copies that were purple and had to be cranked out by hand

Watching someone nod off at work and then jerk awake when the phone rings

Bib overalls.

Words on Happiness Volume I

Smashwords
Barnes and Noble
Amazon

Blurb:

This short book explores tips for happiness. Happiness here is not defined as enjoyment, pleasure, or warm fuzzies. Instead, happiness is the realization that life provides times of laughter, joy, and solace. But, it also provides times of neutrality, pain, and battle. Sometimes the battle scars are so deep that we should rightfully not have survived to tell our stories. Happiness is the acceptance of all these times and the courage to live through them.

Excerpt:

Walk in the other guy's shoes. Before you do, sanitize them so you don't get foot fungus. After you've walked a mile in them, give them back, and respect that he might not be willing to walk in yours yet.

Give of yourself. When you die, what you've held back will be forgotten, but what you've given will be remembered by all those whose lives you've touched.

Most people act out of a desire to have their wants and needs met. They do not act out of vengeance or specifically to hurt you. If you are hurt in the process, realize that it's probably easier for the them to ignore the pain you're feeling than to deal with their own issues.

When you speak softly and carry a big stick, try not to do so in the house of someone who keeps a loaded pistol near his/her bedside.

When upset, make sure to tell the people you're talking with afterward whether or not you're looking to vent your frustration or for them to help you fix your problem. Your friends need guidance for when to listen and when to speak.

Deliver the goods you've promised. If you can't, chocolate always helps to smooth things over.

Keep your sense of awe and wonderment.

Spend time near flowering trees.

Root for the underdog, but don't necessarily place a bet on them with anything other than Monopoly money.

Hold your friends close, your enemies closer, and your family closest.

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

--Fridays

--Caramel apples

--Patient people

--Reliable wireless Internet

--Remembering penny candy

--Peppermint Patties

--Snoopy

--New clothes

--Old clothes (I love garage sales, Goodwill, etc.)

--The look on someone else's face when biting into something sour

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

Babies blowing bubbles

Sparkles/glitter on clothing

S'mores

100% real maple syrup

Duct tape

Watermelon

The first robin of Spring

Fun underwear

Watching a little girl catch the bouquet at a wedding

80s sitcoms

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

--Coffee shops that stay open til midnight (Wired in Hendersonville)

--Finishing a big project

--Being able to just joke around and be goofy

--Freshly squeezed orange juice

--50% off day at Goodwill

--When my allergies are manageable

--Pandas

--Washing my hands after they're sticky like after putting jam on toast

--Vacations

--Day Dreaming

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

--coco covered almonds

--having a productive weekend

--GIMP software

--having a headache-free day for the first time in three weeks

--remembering to plug my cell phone in at night

--coupons

--cleaning out the lint trap (I have no idea why this makes me smile, but it does)

--the carbonation in pop/soda

--Pebbles and Bam Bam

--four leafed clovers

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

--Having a phone w/ email and Internet access

--The moment a headache has gone away

--The Biggest Loser whem I'm on the treadmill

--Finding focus

--Poker

--Finding a pair of pants that fit without having to be altered

--Seeing newlyweds

--Kids playing in the snow

--When the next book in a series comes out that I've dying to read

--Penguins

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

--Fuzzy PJs

--Potato hash

--Snow days when I can work from home

--Hazelnut coffee on a blistery day

--Pop Rocks

--Homemade caramels

--Care packages

--Cheap ebooks by good authors

--Penguins

--Belugas (The Atlanta aquarium has some)

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

--NaNoWriMo

--Coffee shops

--The Internet. Every once in awhile I watch a movie set a few decades or centuries ago and ponder what it would be like to live without technology.

--Kids in Halloween costumes being safe

--Gummy Bears at the movie theater

--Bambi

--Thumper

--Working my exercise time in

--Fresh herbs

--Every minute of the weekend

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

--Pie

--Pi fanatics

--Snuggling with a warm blanket in the Fall

--Roasting marshmallows

--Nicely steeped tea

--Pandas

--Looking forward to the elections being over

--Early voting

--Remembering hanging chads

--New tights

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

--Underwear that fit properly

--Seeing the end of all the laundry I've done this weekend

--Smooth stones

--Clipping my fingernails after I accidentally tear one and live with the jagged edge for the better part of the day. I don't carry clippers in my purse. I probably should, though

--The feeling of the bubbles in pop (soda) going down my throat. I crave the carbonation as much as the flavor

--The feeling after a good workout

--Handy reference books

--New PJs

--Learning new software

--Hot air ballons

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

--Kids in Halloween costumes

--Insurance copays on medication rather than paying the full, retail price

--Scarecrows

--Cheesy music from previous decades

--Warm fleece on chilly days

--Community wide garage sales

--Grocery shopping when the store isn't busy

--Breath mints

--Crayon sharpeners

--The sound of crunching leaves under my feet

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

--Post season baseball

--Community wide garage sales/yard sales

--Looking forward to NaNoWriMo

--Twitter

--Taking a walk during lunch

--Indian summer

--Promotions

--Classic cars

--FAQs that actually answer my questions

--Trying restaurants

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

--Peanut butter chocolate milkshakes

--Learning new skills

--Writing

--Getting to sleep in

--Finding new coffee shops

--Free wi-fi

--Freebies in general as long as I don't have to get myself put on a distribution/email/mailing list

--Hot soup on a chilly day

--Sourdough English muffins

--Scarecrows

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

--Hot, steamy showers when I am congested

--Promotions

--Scented lotion

--Cheese wedges

--The Chilean miners being rescued

--The moment after supper when I can first relax at the end of the day

--Incense

--Fresh strawberries

--When paper cuts heal

--A good night's sleep

Ten Things That Make Me Smile

--Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel that I'm getting over my cold

--Almonds

--Sleeping in

--Drinking enough water that I feel healthy

--Yard sales

--Breath mints

--Getting engrossed in the series I'm reading. Familiar characters feel like friends

--2 Dollar bills

--Going shopping and finding clothes that fit without having to go to 10 stores to find the right item

--Hot chai tea

10 Things That Make Me Smile

--Finishing a good mystery in under a day

--Free concerts at the public library

--Tables in coffee shops that are the right height for working on my laptop

--Interviews

--The scent of fabric softener sheets

--Good hair days

--Sales

--Trying on clothes and having everything fit properly

--Looking forward to the trees turning colors

--Peanut butter pie