Things that make you happy

My daughter Nora has a cute book called Taking a Bath with the Dog and Other Things That Make Me Happy. It is one of her very favorite books. I think she likes it because there are bright pictures and not many words on each page, which helps keep the pace moving and allows her to turn more pages (which is what I think she really likes best about “reading” right now).  I too love this book, but not for the same reasons as my daughter. Let me give you a quick summary – the book stars a little girl who is having a bad day. Her mother asks her what would make her happy. She doesn’t know, so she goes and asks others what makes them happy. The dog likes taking a bath, the bat likes sleeping upside down, the old man likes counting the rings on tree stumps, the centipede likes shoes, and the mole likes to dig. Finally, the little girl realizes all of the things that make her happy. There are so many they completely fill two pages – having sprinkles on ice cream, dancing with her shadow, tickling her baby brother, baking cookies with faces on them, and of course, taking a bath with the dog.  By this point Nora is bored and ready to move on, but I always want to pause to think about the things on my own list – or what I think Nora might have on hers.  The result usually leaves me smiling, grateful, and pretty happy with the good things in my life, just as they did for the little girl in the story. Here are a few of the things that often pop up on my list:

 

• Eating chocolate chip cookie dough right out of the mixer

• Dancing in my living room
• Rubbing my dog's belly
• Giving a hug to someone I love
• Going on a fun trip
• Making Nora giggle
• Donating a kids' bike to a Christmas charity
• Laughing so hard I snort
• Sharing lunch with a good friend
• Dressing-up for Halloween
• Eating ice cream sundaes with homemade hot fudge
• Singing camp songs
• Talking on the phone with friends and family who live far away

It’s pretty amazing how just even thinking about the things that make you happy, can actually make you happy. I would encourage you to try it some time! Better yet, write them down on a piece of paper or in a journal, add pictures or other visual images if you’re so inclined, then pull it out any time you need a reminder.