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The Pursuit of Happiness
 By Shelley Munro A few weeks ago I discovered a new blog called The Happiness Project, which is about one person’s search for happiness. The author has tried many different methods and she blogs about the results. It’s definitely worth checking out if you have a moment. Of course this made me think about the small things that make me happy so I wrote a list. 1. A pretty cupcake. 2. Browsing the romance section at my favorite bookstore. 3. A cup of strong latte. 4. A kiss from my husband. 5. Getting a smile and a hello from people I meet while out walking and cycling. 6. A sunny day with a cloudless blue sky. 7. The scent of fresh lavender. 8. Watching all the cars stop to let a duck and her ducklings cross the road. 9. Watching the new lambs play together. 10. The scent of fresh bread at the Farmers’ Market. 11. Receiving a package and opening it to find my author copies of Tea For Two. They are SO pretty. 12. Counting down the days to my holiday. It’s less than three weeks before I jet off to Singapore and Thailand. 13. Having a glass of wine in the company of friends. 14. The sound of children laughing. 15. Reading a book written by one of my favorite authors. What makes you happy? Everyone who comments will go in a draw to win a print copy of Summer in the City of Sails or Romancing the Alien. (I’ll draw the winner on Wednesday afternoon and post the winner’s name in the comments section) Shelley Munro lives in New Zealand with her husband and a small geriatric dog. You can visit Shelley at www.shelleymunro.com.
Tags: happiness, Shelley Munro 31 Responses to “The Pursuit of Happiness”Leave a Comment |
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August 11th, 2009 at 6:50 am
What a great topic! I think you covered a lot of things that make me happy.
A cup of fragrant tea in the morning.
Watching the sun rise over the mountains.
Watching the shadows over the mountains as the sun sets.
Seeing my children when they come for a visit
Watching a flower bloom.
The borders of lavender along the entry to my home.
Watching my cats sleep in a pool of sunlight.
Hearing my husband sleeping beside me.
Eating an ice cream cone on a hot summer evening.
August 11th, 2009 at 7:35 am
The beauty of the beach all day long and at sunset.
The sunshine and blue sky.
Having my dogs by my side.
Family gatherings.
Appreciation of my surroundings.
Good books and a cup of herbal tea.
August 11th, 2009 at 8:02 am
Hugs & Kisses from my grandkids
A beautiful fall day
Time with my daughters
Going to Starbucks
Reading a good book
Candles and aromatherapy
August 11th, 2009 at 9:43 am
The top thing that would make me happy is if it was September already… LOL!
But aside from that:
a hug and kiss from Emma,
watching her laugh and play with hubby,
a good book,
dark chocolate,
creme brulee,
a foggy morning,
a campfire on a cool night,
time spent with friends,
a good laugh, volunteering.
Hugs! :w00t:
August 11th, 2009 at 9:56 am
Here are some of mine:
1)Fudgy brownies
2)Date nights with my hubby.
3)Browsing in the bookstore.
4)Browsing through the books at a flea market or garage sale.
4)A mug of my favorite tea or cocoa.
5)Slathering my favorite body cream on after a hot bath.
6)Sitting in a hot tub with hubby.
7)Hugs and kisses from the 2 year old and 6 year old.
8)Reading a good book.
9)Trying out a new restaurant.
10)Hubby bringing home flowers just because.
August 11th, 2009 at 10:08 am
Wow, what an awesome topic!!
The thing that makes me the happiest is hearing my children’s laughter. I know at the end of a hard day it is what I look forward to the most.
August 11th, 2009 at 10:35 am
gatherings with family and/or good friends
the smile on my niece Claire’s face
playing with Lady and Barkly and watchin them play chase in the backyard
reading a good book, sipping hot tea
dark chocolate
August 11th, 2009 at 10:46 am
I love everyones happy list!
Romance novels
My little nephew
My animals
The color of the leaves during Fall
Watching my fav movies
Seeing people laugh
… :biggrin: :heart:
August 11th, 2009 at 10:49 am
Books, books, books
Making Sunday dinner for my family
My 6 cats and granddoggie
Cabernet Savignon
Playing any kind of games
Laughing
Vacations
Winning (especially books lol)
August 11th, 2009 at 11:53 am
Hi, Shelley!
Thanks for the heads-up that you’d be here! If you keep telling us where you are, we’ll keep finding you!
As for happiness items, you remind me of Oprah’s Grateful Journal. Many moons ago, she asked viewers to write down (I think 5) daily items for which you are grateful. I dutifully started writing them down. About six months into it, I decided to quite writing them down, though. I can think of more than 5 per day quite easily now, and do so on a regular basis instead.
Today, for example, I am grateful for (and which makes me happy):
1) a great husband who spent ages in my cramped office fixing a wall outlet so I could have my trilight lamp plugged in whenever I’m on the computer (which is very important to me with deteriorating eyesight!);
2) a great son who just got back from visiting friends for the weekend, and told about how he cooked the family (of 5 adults) their breakfast bacon in their microwave (to which all exclaimed he was hired, as they usually spent ages cooking it on the stovetop, with grease splattering everywhere) and then made scrambled eggs for all of them too, which was also appreciated;
3) a great daughter who just finished vacuuming for me on her lunch hour from work;
4) a great mother-in-law who, even though she has beginning stages of Alzheimer’s, has always treated me and my other in-laws with love and respect;
5) my kids wanting to stay at home while they save money for their own futures (while paying room & board, of course, which in turn helps us), all the while helping us whenever we have something needing to be done around here;
and the list goes on and on. I could include something about the weather, as I appreciate rainfalls, bright sunny days, windy days, etc. I could include all sorts of foods that are just decadent to eat.
Yes, our bodies don’t get any younger, and we could complain about all sorts of ailments, but we can also choose to focus on all those positives in life and move on. Every day on this earth is a bonus!
August 11th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
When my DD was a baby, she’d wake up singing. I’d lay there and listen to her for 10 or 15 mins over the monitor and just grin. What a great alarm clock! Can’t wake up cranky when a baby is cooing in your ear.
These days, I love her giggle and my dog’s goofy antics (attacking her foot like it’s a squirrel, for instance). :silly:
And RE: your pretty cupcake. I even like ugly ones :biggrin:
August 11th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
There are a lot of things that make me happy:
Sitting outside on a sunny day with a light breeze.
My whole family together for a meal
A day out with my husband
baking for my family
August 11th, 2009 at 1:58 pm
Wow, you guys are great. It’s early morning here in NZ and I’m smiling at all your lists. What an excellent way to wake up.
Sandy – watching the sun rise over the mountains. Magical! I can’t tell you how many times hubby and I have groaned about getting up early to see the sun rise in various parts of the world, but each time still lingers in our memories.
Ruth – I love the beach. It’s constantly changing and there are different things to see. Beautiful.
August 11th, 2009 at 2:04 pm
Linda – I love going for a walk on a fall day and seeing all the different colored leaves. It’s fun crunching them underfoot too!
Amy – 22 sleeps to go. :biggrin:
Volunteering is a good one to add to the list. I’ve had lots of fun and good times while helping others.
August 11th, 2009 at 2:13 pm
It’s the simple things in life that make me happy. The release day of a book I’ve been waiting for forever, a mug of cinnamon hot cocoa, sitting in front of the fireplace petting my cat, watching Supernatural on Thursday nights, and lots of other mundane things. Happiness is what you make it.
August 11th, 2009 at 2:17 pm
Cherie – I really like body lotion too.
Erin – I think children laughing is one of the best things, and I don’t even have children.
August 11th, 2009 at 2:20 pm
Mary – our little dog has brought hours of joy to us. She’s really old now, but she still brightens my day.
Colleen – another fall fan. I have wonderful memories of Maine in fall.
Catslady – books. *nodding*
August 11th, 2009 at 2:24 pm
Laney – thank you for your wonderful post. You’re right. Sometimes we focus on the bad stuff when we all have so much to be grateful for. I think the American thanksgiving day is such a wonderful idea. We don’t have a holiday like that.
Marianne – what a wonderful way to wake up in the morning. LOL – I agree. an ugly cupcake is just as good. It’s just about always made with love!
August 11th, 2009 at 2:27 pm
Maureen – I enjoy spending time with my hubby. He makes me laugh and always treats me like a Queen.
Jody – Quite right. Happiness is what you make it. Sometimes we lose sight of the small things that can make us happy.
August 11th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
Watching my favorite tv shows.
Reading a good book.
Pigging out on junk food.
A brisk walk in the park.
Window shopping.
Spending time with family and friends.
August 11th, 2009 at 4:06 pm
Ice cream on a hot summer day or watching dolphins swim in the ocean!
August 11th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
Here are some of my favorite things
-puppies
-smiles
-jokes
-Casey’s doughnuts (FRESH)
-Playing Guitar Hero
-the smell of fresh cookies
August 11th, 2009 at 7:03 pm
What a great reminder to think of those things, Shelley! Some of my favorites are my kids laughing together (sure beats the arguing ;)), fresh sheets on the bed, getting a new book, getting to have dinner together as a family, having the shower to myself…
Please don’t enter me–I’ve got both of those on the TBR
August 11th, 2009 at 8:28 pm
Spending time with my almost 9 mo old granddaughter. She has brought such joy to our lives.
Spending time with other family members and friends.
A good meal.
Chocolate.
A tasty dessert or dessert bar.
Watching Dancing with the Stars and the new show Castle.
Reading a good book, especially one by one of my favorite authors that has just come out.
Winning a contest.
Enjoying a good movie.
August 11th, 2009 at 8:37 pm
Phone call from a lost friend, the smell of rain, Walking with my weenie dog, spending time with my daughter….are a few of my Favorite things! :heart:
August 12th, 2009 at 8:20 am
What makes me happiest is when my husband holds me in his arms and whispers, “I love you.”, in my ear. Melt!
When I am in a bad mood, my husband says, “Go play on the computer!” That always perks me up! Especially when I go blogging on my favorite author blogs!
Hear are the simple things in life that make me happy,
1. Sunshine in my bedroom in the morning when I am making my bed.
2. Hearing the birds chirp outside as I open up the front door in the morning.
3. The smell of freshly cut grass.
4. A beautiful sunset.
5. Walking along the beach with the water lapping at my feet.
6. Hearing the neighbor’s children play outside.
7. Smelling the flower’s in my garden.
8. Seeing a butterfly land on my plants, fluttering it’s wings.
9. Watching the bee’s fly by and do their thing on the flowers.
10. The beauty of breathing everyday and just being.
Wonderful blog Shelly! That’s my nickname by the way!
August 12th, 2009 at 5:24 pm
WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT
My apologies for a late return. I had to do edits this morning and I’m feeling miserable with a cold. You can read about it at my blog – http://www.shelleymunro.com/blog
Anyway, I’m here – I did the random number thing and the winner is….
#12 – Maureen
Congratulations, Maureen. Look for an email from me.
Thank you all so much for sharing the things that make you happy. Each of you made me smile and nod. Have a wonderful week, and don’t forget to pop by my blog. Every time you comment on one of my posts you go into a draw to win a book prize.
Shelley :cheerful:
August 13th, 2009 at 10:46 am
Congrats Maureen!!! :cheerful:
August 13th, 2009 at 11:49 am
Congratulations, Maureen!
Hope you’re feeling better, Shelley.
August 13th, 2009 at 7:24 pm
Mary – I am feeling a bit better, thanks. I think my husband’s hot toddies are doing the trick.
August 13th, 2009 at 7:30 pm
Woohoo Maureen! Happy reading!
What a nice hubby you have Shelly! So good to hear you are feeling better!