Good Day, Sir. I Said, Good Day!

I'm reading a book at the moment that references happiness quite often - and how real happiness is found, not in the big events in our lives (well, not just in those events), but in the ordinary moments of ordinary days, where we smile, laugh, feel good, see beauty.

I believe this is true. With my whole heart.

Over the years, I've done lots of posts about my favorite things - the things that make me happy. Here's one of them, right here, but they're all over December 2013 and earlier in the blog (though I'm too tired right now to go looking for them). Those posts make me happy.

Lots of things make me happy.

And while this is most certainly true, sometimes, in the day-to-day busy-ness (and laziness), I forget to notice those things.

So, today? Well, today I decided to really pay attention. I decided to write down every little thing that made me smile, laugh, or just feel good. I started first thing and just finished. I probably missed a couple and I expect there will be more things to add to the list before I go to bed.

But here they are:

• The way my favorite pen flows and how my handwriting looks when I use it
• The feeling of satisfaction I get when I pay a bill
• The warm spray of water from the shower, especially on a cold morning
• An empty sink and kitchen counters clear from any clutter
• Little things that remind me of my dad and of things he used to say (like "Ooh, I fancy a piece and jam")
• Being able to sit for a few quiet minutes in the morning and not rush
• The traffic noises outside my house; I thought I might hate living on a busy street but the noise is oddly comforting
• Sweet soft Irish butter and raspberry jam on fresh artisan bread
• Figuring out that I can use the same tea bag for the tea I have first thing in the morning AND the tea I take to work (why that took me so long, I'll never know)
• That first sip of hot tea in the morning... and the first sip of cold tea in the afternoon
• The fact that my aluminum mug keeps my tea SO hot for SO long!
• (Clearly, I love tea)
• Getting head butts from Rue and that sweet growl-y sound Pip makes when he runs at me for cuddles
• How soft Pip is
• The way Sunny's expression completely changes when he moves only his eyebrows
• (And the things listed above were all before 7am!)
• Ellen "DeGenerous"
• Seeing cool new flags/locations in my blog feed (Doha, Ad Dawhah [Qatar] today)
• Seeing favorite old locations in my feed (even if I don't know who the readers are - Mountain View, CA, thank you for visiting! xo)
• Being able to help make someone else's day just a little bit easier by providing answers to difficult questions
• Knocking things off a full to-do list
• Looking at the pictures of my beautiful daughter I keep on my desk
• Being able to joke with coworkers who completely get my sense of humor (thankfully!)
• Writing in a brand new, beautiful planner
• Having a laugh with kid in the McDonald's drive-thru, at his colossal bungling of my order
• That first sweet taste of chocolate
• Reading a poem, by an author I've never heard of, that resonates deeply within me and brings a sense of Yes! This!
• Filling my whole gas tank up for $20! Squeee!
• Being greeted at the door by a smiley dog and two ready-for-dinner kittens
• Finding a new recipe that looks easy, delicious, AND healthy
• Finding two of my favorite veggies in the freezer (ones Ryan doesn't like) on a night when she's not going to be home for dinner
• While cleaning the litter box, before I've even put the top back on, having Pip get in, squat to pee, and look up me as if to say, "What?" (Little shit)
• A chubby, purring kitten on my chest, his face buried in my neck
• Blog writin'

And last, but certainly not least:

• Realizing just how many moments in my ordinary day were ordinarily-extraordinary ones - ones that caused me to smile, laugh, or just plain feel good!

Was my day perfect? Nope. (Is there such a thing?) Would I even classify it as a great day? Nope. Nothing out of the ordinary happened. But looking at it this way? Listing all the good moments? 

I have to say, it was a good day, man. It was a really good day!

You try it! Write 'em down! I promise you won't be disappointed... and you might be kind of surprised...