What makes you happy?

lol re: waking up next to my wife every morning (and in the middle of most nights), and when she gets home from work

jeez david you sleep a lot! lol

Ok, what floats my boat huh?

Watching my son beat me at chess 47 times in a row! Sheesh, I used to be able to whup his butt but he learned fast!

Taking the kayak out on a nice river run. A little whitewater action then floating through the flatwater watching the birds along the bank and listening to the water talk.

Pulling into a secluded landing area around sunset, pitching a tent and watching the sun set, Of course, this is muuuch nicer with good company.

Hanging with my friends over a nice barbeque pit or maybe a campfire, looove campfires, and just chatting. Someone starts pickin a guitar maybe. That brings back memories of childhood when my dad would always play by the campfire when we went camping. 'Down in the Valley', 'Thinking Tonight of My Blue-eyes', you know, the old country ballads. It's the only kind of country music I like.

Holidays with my family. I don't get to see them much since I moved waaay out here to TX but we make up for lost time when we do get together. Watching my son and my sisters kids bonds again like they saw each other last week instead of 6 months ago.

Curling up on the couch with a good book. I love sci-fi, mysteries, thrillers, you name it.

I used to love waking my sweetie up in the morning...

Maybe some day. It sure made the day start out nice though.

Snuggles

Hugs from behind, those sneak up on you kind, for no reason except to say I love you. Those are the best, yeah. sigh. Ok, enough of this. Maybe some day. I do miss that though. You guys are very lucky, cherish it.

Coffee. Especially when it is ready by the time I get up.

What makes me happy:

Waking up in the morning whether my wife has left for work or not. A lot of people my age are already on the other side of the grass. I am grateful to them for dying because that means the statistical probability is that I won't.

Creative cooking - now that I am retired and my wife is still working, I cook dinner every night. My recipes are all simple and delicious.

Reading the morning paper cover-to-cover, something I never had the luxury of doing when I was working.

My Keurig Coffee Maker hissing out a cup of Gloria Jean's Chocolate Almond Coffee. Adding filtered water to the tank to give the coffee just an added touch of flavor.

Brewing a second cup of coffee when I care to. The second cup is Hazelnut which is my second favorite.

Reading a novel or work of nonfiction for an hour after breakfast and not having to look at the clock.

Browsing TBD and creating posts that range from practical to hysterical. Getting feedback from people who I respect and admire.

Deleting all the garbage on e-mail.

Getting an e-mail from my granddaughter whose life is so full of wonders that I sometimes can't believe it.

Googling my granddaughter and seeing a four digit total of hits - rather awesome for a 14 year old and reading the newspaper reviews and magazine articles.

The only not happy part is reading some of the perv blogs about her that already are using words that scare me, like hottie, foxy, and words to the effect that they lust for her. This replaces the words of yesteryear, cute, adorable, amazing, talented and the ubiquitous 'little drummer girl.' The new words are scary.

Watching my son and granddaughter do a promo on Stars on Demand and seeing the camera capture my granddaughter's beauty and my son's talent for creating new music.

Having time to taste food instead of shoveling it down between work activities.

Seeing my wife come home from work smiling because her employers finally are showing appreciation for her in all the important ways - money, recognition, money ...

Planning for the future. 'Supposin' about where we will live after my wife retires in a couple of years. Right now beautiful and charming Seattle heads the list. We lived there for a number of years many years ago and it was the highlight of our lives. Just thinking about getting out of monochromatic Mt Laurel brings a smile to me.

Relaxing because everything is going smoothly.

Living at peace with ourselves because everything we care most about worked out well.

Seeing our little family (all we have is a son and granddaughter) become acclaimed in their field of endeavor and knowing we raised them right when they do not fall into the trap of many in their industry. Of the three choices - sex, drugs and rock and roll, they keep the first one at home, the second out of their lives and as for the third, they live what they play in their music. As a trained musician myself, it is beautiful to see. Its all about the music - creating it and performing it.

Writing and occasionally getting material accepted for publication. Writing is most important of the two at this point.

Enjoying the new business I started. Low work, decent return on the investment. Creating the little touches that separate me from the masses in what I'm doing.

Knowing that I earned the respect of the people who count in my life.

Knowing that I earn the respect of people who were strangers yesterday but are not so today.

Seeing people I know through my son and have developed a relationship with succeeding at the impossible task of surviving in the entertainment industry. The latest is Kimya Dawson who is a close family friend whose amazing music leads the soundtrack of the wonderful movie, Juno. Kimmy used to spend hours discussing life with Rachel on ten thousand mile tours around the country they took together in a 1983 Chevy Suburban. They are both troupers and have paid their dues and now Kim has hit the jackpot. Makes me smile all over!

Tomorrow, I'm going to NYC to see my granddaughter in a piece of theater in which she is starring and her many friends are working free to make the show a success. I can't sleep because I am so excited about it. The show is a new take on the old kiddie shows and the audience of little kids are absolutely enchanted by the show she has constructed. The adults are enchanted by the idea of a kid who can take old bedsheets and make scenery and get their kids to eat fresh veggies while watching a puppet show put on by East Village performing genius Reverend Jen who wears her pixie ears even on the subway. Other performers play elves, clowns and lord knows what she will add when someone new is in town and she asks if they want to participate. No one ever says no to Rachel.

Am I happy? Boy, I guess!

And I haven't even mentioned Original Dove Bars which are, to me, what catnip is to a cat or a brier patch is to Br'er Rabbit.

Having just another ordinary miracle day and what ever it brings.......

musician's have a saying: "YO"-an exclamation of excellence, exhortation etc.

An aging musician friend of mine, Gene Cipriano, whenever asked what's up he would reply "YO". Gene has been doing this for more than 50 years.

Now when asked what's up? He replies"

"I woke up, saw the ceiling...."YO"

Twenty minutes into a run, it's below freezing, it's 4:30 in the morning and suddenly it all comes together. I've gotten out of bed when it would have been easier to stay in it, I'm warm on a cold day because my body has manufactured its own warmth, the stars are still out, my body is ready to take off, nothing hurts yet. It only lasts about 20 minutes but it's my version of the zone and the aftereffects last all day.

My ring tone on my phone, "Hakuna Matata", it always makes me smile. I do a little dance in my head when I hear it.

Waking up every morning

Going to see my parents

Vacations where there are no dogs or cats for me to take care of (think: no kids, and you got it)

My little nieces who are now in their 20s

My silly friends

My little house

Bob Marley

The Red Hot Chili Peppers

BadFrog and Arkadash.

I am the most happy person in the world. I have a lifestyle of a 10 year old with 60 years of experience !

- My sweet young girlfriend who brings sunshine to my life and has done for nearly 28 years. Without her I would be phucking miserable !

- Being out of work, having no job, not being able to commute, having no stupid boss, no deadlines, no projects, no annual reviews, no staff meetings, no dipshit team mates, no corporate philosphy and no fear of loosing my job that I don;t have !

- The unrelenting infusion of other peoples money every 3-months from my 401K plan dividends and annuities

- My corporate pension

- looking forward to age 62 so I can supplement my monthly income with government Social security dollars that they "made me contribute to"..

- Having been smart enough to plan for the above and it actually works

- Great sex (no externally induced stress to mess it up)

- My new fishing boat !

- Not wearing a wrist watch anymore nor setting the alarm

- Enjoying the "good life" and saying to other folks,.. you can do it to, if you really want to.

- And of course Lil Yellow Tulip and Arky and Editor and all my great friends on TBD that I cherish so much..

- Did I say Yellow Tulip and cheap vodka and butterflys ?

I LOVE this topic... thank you so much for starting it! Because now I can add to the list: "Reading lists of simple joys from other people." It's wondrous and I love what everyone has written.

My list:

The first sip from a fresh pot of coffee in the morning.

Pushing my kayak off from the beach into a Great Lake - I live right next to Lake Michigan, but Lake Superior is pretty fantastic too - and feeling my body settle into the boat and the rhythm.

Watching people play in the fountain at Millenium Park in Chicago - it was built to play in, and it's mostly kids, but it isn't ALL kids.

Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run" - the whole album, front to back, with the volume up.

The twice-yearly Greek food festival cooked up by the ladies at the Greek orthodox church two blocks from my house. Best baklava and galaktobourikos on EARTH.

Beautiful fiber slipping through my fingers onto a wheel or a spindle.

Singing Bach. Or Mozart. Or Handel. Oh heck... just singing.

Such cool, sentimental, thoughtful tbd friends, thanks, all, I'm inspired by your joys!

Just a few of my favorite things:

My funny, cute husband, especially when he's being goofy, and surprises me by cooking, or doing a mundane,boring household task.

Our dearest, mid-twenties daughter, and early twenties son. I sometimes can't believe how thrilled that I am being their mom, sharing their busy, fun lives, adventures, meals, chats, laughs, walks with our dog, hikes, and every single happy moment that I can savor and remember.

I also really treasure my long, fun conversations with other friends/family, watching our silly pup run circles 'round the house/yard, and our wacky pet birds! The old cockatiel, "Mr. Mellow", is 16, and never gives up hope that his girlfriend, "Miss Sweetie", will one day succumb to his endless advances. So far, she has spurned him, she doesn't like older men! However, they always look after each other, and are best fine-feathered friends!

Being wanted.

A cigar with some cognac

Writing and realizing musical ideas.

Creating artistic projects.

A cold beer.

Faith.

Hot Coffee in the morning.

Work. Real work.

What makes me happy! When something Ive done makes other people happy. Coffee in the morning. When a friend calls me from India. My nieces and nephews. Looking out my window at home and seeing the bay. Canoe racing. Ammachi. Listening to Traditional Storytellers. Saying my mantra. Meeting new people from all over the world. Traditional Celebrations. Traveling. Learning new things. My job.

Things (people) that make me happy: My husband. My cat. Milk chocolate. Hot black coffee. Playing with my grandchildren. Taking photos. Camping. Having family get-togethers. Helping my adult children. Teaching in any form. The mountains. Reading a good book. Scrapbooking. My dog. Listening to "Planets" or "The Nutcracker Suite". Cross country driving. Fast cars. Cooking family dinners for special occasions. Visiting Avalalanche Creek at Glacier National Park. A sunset. Sunshine. Kittens. Sleeping past 4:30 a.m. on the weekends. Watching good movies.

We are the coffee generation!

Fresh Dutch Douwe Egbert Coffee from NL fown in fresh.

Sitting at the morning table doing homework and reading toegether with the kiddos.

Wrting my 2,000 words for the day.

Walking down to the cliffs and back.

Checking in on my addiction here.

A good Cuban cigar or two fingers of Oban single malt (distiller's special blend, aged nine more months after 12 years in old sherry casks - deep dark red, bold and oooohhh soooooo smoooooooth....)

And I'm just getting warmed up. Time though for bed on this side of the planet, pleasant dreams all.

Having snow in Alabama and watching children who have never seen snow enjoy it. Oh, and snowball fights; not enough for a snowman.

Peace of mind

It's quiet. I am sitting in a very relaxed position on my couch with a good cup of coffee ...knowing that I rather be doing nothing else

I loved reading the replies! Thank you.

What makes me happy? Sharing and creating great dinners and parties where my friends are relaxed and really enjoy themselves..and calling me at a later date for help with their cooking/entertaining adventures! I remember a very starry night in the Adirondack mountains -I mean one of those nights when the stars are so close and bright that the sky is lit up with diamonds and the stars look like they are touching the distant mountains...feels like a gigantic blanket... Beautiful.

I was happiest at Monet's Garden in Giverny, France on a beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon picnicing. I hope to go back someday and stay in Giverny and just explore the area. I am happy playing with my 2 year old grandson..he makes me forget about everything and be a kid again. I love his little kisses! I am happy about my children being grown up who turned out to be really great, kind and independent people and have great partners to get them through the hard times!

Since it never came easy for me, for many years happiness was a decision I made every day. Time and experience have made it easier, and more often than not, I am surprised to discover I am happy through no efforts of my own. Happiness is in:

gazing upon a baby you love

conversing with a toddler

music

the sound of the waves slapping the beach

allowing the words to flow to paper and feeling their meaning

watching your adult children enjoy each other more as they age

a good merlot

trying a new recipe and getting kudos all 'round

the moment just before you drift off into a cozy nap

spooning

I don't know that I can add much to all of the things already listed~~

a great night's sleep

holding my husband's hand

sunsets

nature walks

butterfly kisses

Viggo Mortensen

My unending faith in God.

Loving and being loved.

My family and watching the kids grow.

My beautiful girlfriends - the sister's of my heart <3

My equally beautiful boyfriend who is living and learning about life just like I am. We are living in the same space eager to watch life unfold - ahh, it doesn't get better than that.

Music - all kinds, but mostly listening to the perfect song in the current moment.

My cats - Tux and MV. All they ever want is love - and sometimes to eat!

Laughing until I cry.

Crying until I can laugh.

Random smiles :-)

Unexpected trips.

Sunshine on my face.

Jaki, Badfrog and Arkadash. . .

Live, love, laugh! xo LT :-)

Have this list; contains names of over 400 people, who have contributed a happy moment at one time or another in my lifetime; some by living, a few by dying and freeing breathing space.

Achieving goals that mean I've accomplkished something without hurting another person in the process.

Waking to Comanche on 'my' side of the bed, and hearing Jeanne grumble we 'guys stick together'...

The laughter when I talk to my sons... latest was when I took my youngest, Crae, through my Profile, and he didn't realize I could be funny (?!)

Boar hunting Christmas Day carried me through hospitalization in days after...

Writing

Reading

Thinking (being able to when not fuzzy on better life through chemistry)... True story: there are computer programs I wrote, that when I look at them under influence of some of my pharmaceutical wonders, are gibberish to me - a frightening thought)

Seiing MissJ's satisfaction when she tells her kids despite our recent setbacks, this is 'her' home, the first ever in her name, and it will remain 'her' home until the mortgage, at least, is paid of, Thank You Very Much

TBD Friends who brighten my days, and a few evenings, tooo.

Church family

That I'm American, and a Texican, at least for now...

Blessings, and agape,

moi

My kids and coffee.

Good friends and coffee

Talking to interesting people and coffee

Going for a drive and coffee

Traveling and coffee

O! did I mention coffee?

Happy? So simple, so complicated, so permanent yet sometimes unachievable.

A gentle kiss with the right woman.

Pepsi

Waking up hearing the Eagles singing "I've got a peaceful, easy feeling/cause I'm already standing/on the clown." (Woke up laughing at myself this morning for that.)

The feel of a car skating on the edge, knowing I can steer it almost by breathing, because it means I've managed the turn at the absolute maximum potential for the speed and angle of attack.

A 1 1/2 ft tall "snowman" by the side of the road - south of Hattiesburg, MS.

Knowing someone will be glad to hear my voice even if it's saying something as stupid as "I see a snowman."

I forgot a very important band that makes me happy to hear: Southern Culture on the Skids - they're a Blast!

www.scots.com

David