Ten Things That Make Me Happy

At this moment I can’t exactly recall what inspired me to contemplate all the things that make me happy. It seems like it was a riveting reality TV show, but I’m still not exactly sure. However the inspiration was spawned I got to thinking, and, as it turns out, the most challenging part of this list was putting them in sequential order. Once I gave up on the organization of it all my thinking/writing process started flowing much more smoothly. That made me happy…no pun intended. Nonetheless, here’s my list of ten things that make me happy.

#10 – Sirius XM radio – It is remarkable that someone found a way to categorize music, play it continuously, and never interrupt the playlist for commercial ads. Of course there’s an annual subscription fee, but nothing is truly free anymore. Having to pay for it isn’t fun, but Sirius XM radio makes me happy.

#9 – Shellac – Nail polish was a taboo topic when I was a kid. I even remember having the plastic caps that had long red and pink nails you could slide onto the tip of your fingers. I used to play “Cash Register” and “Calculator” with them on. They made this little clickity tapping noise on the keys that made me feel so grown up and, can I say, bodacious without sounding completely ridiculous? There’s absolutely no way in this world or any other that my mom bought the nail tips for me, so I’m guessing I lifted them from my cousins who were allowed to play with things like that. Saying “things like that” makes it seem like they could play with copperheads and machine guns and such. The funny thing is that nail polish and eye make up with any color tint to it whatsoever was definitely deemed sinful and definitely equally dangerous as a venomous snake or automatic weapon. Shellac: the stay-on-for-two-weeks-with-no-chipping nail polish is a newfound discovery in the world of cosmetics, and it makes me happy.

#8 – Nieces and Nephews – I have been blessed beyond belief (Yes, I do believe in alliteration, hence all the “b” words in that opening sentence.). Some are biological, some are adopted, all are my favorites. There really is nothing else in the whole world that is quite as rewarding as being “K-Bear” to my boys and girls. They make me so happy.

#7 – FRIENDS – While I candidly admit having a moderate obsession with the late TV show, I do mean my actual real live friends as well. In fact I just had a complete texting conversation with two of my closest friends. It went something like this:

N: I wish there was a rocket plane that could have y’all here in, like, ten minutes. We could eat and watch a few episodes of FRIENDS. Of course we’d re-tell our best jokes – “You would!” ;) and then you’d be back home by morning. I wish that.

K: Lol! Meeeeeee too!

Me: I double wish that.

K: And while we’re at it, that jet would serve unlimited lava cake.

Me: Calorie-free but same-tasting lava cake.

N: I would expect nothing less. And the pilot would be Zac Efron.

Me: Of course!!

N: I love this magic jet!

K: Sends a pic of E, our precious niece, and trumps it all.

This text message exchange is just a sampling of countless conversations we have had. My friends and my FRIENDS make me happy.

#6 – Workout Sessions with Casey – These 100-minute sessions of pure torture are only fun because I get to spend time with one of my very favorite people – my brother. Granted I find it challenging to walk, sit, stand, talk, see, laugh, read, eat, drive, or lay down for the following three days, but I look forward to the next bout of musculoskeletal abuse just as soon as we pull away from the gym. There’s something about having time with him that centers me; helps me stay focused on what’s actually important in life – ME and MY FAMILY. Casey makes me happy.

#5 – Family – Both sides, rather all four sides, of our family are fairly large. If I had to guess a number that would include all the members of our extended families, it would probably be in the range of 250. While I won’t even begin to pretend I know them all, I am very thankful for them. As I’m writing this, I am struggling with how to precisely express myself. Yes, I am thankful for my giant family and the legacy of devoted, hard-working people. The heart of the matter is that no one can possibly maintain effective relationships with that many people. Maybe I should split this “Family” category into two, maybe not. There are portions of my family that are dearer to my heart, than all the other extended family members. That isn’t to say that I wish ill-will towards those more distant, or even that they matter less as a human. All it means for me is that I haven’t the time, energy, resources, desire, whatever it is to maintain close-knit relationships with 250+ people. This isn’t making any sense whatsoever, and I’m getting frustrated. All I really want to say is that my family makes me happy.

#4 – Traveling – Whether we are packing up the Jeep for a camping trip, clipping on snow skis, boarding a plane, or just taking a drive through our hay fields, I love to travel. It is inspirational and refreshing seeing new places, learning new things. I want to go everywhere, see everything. Even the screen savers on my laptop rotate through photo shots I’ve snapped: a cow in the open field near the piney woods of Texas, Mikey and me at the Statue of Liberty in NYC, me on my 30^th birthday sipping a pina colada on the deck of a cruise ship somewhere in the Caribbean. Those pictures are just a handful of our collection. I’ve gone to places all over the world, and I find the adventure of learning some place new exhilarating. Traveling makes me happy.

#3 – Paying bills – This is rather odd, I know. But I sincerely enjoy earning a living, and paying my own way. It’s a wonderful feeling knowing that you don’t have creditors banging down your door demanding next month’s salary to pay for last week’s date night dinner. Mikey and I have really hit a rhythm with our finances, and it feels so good. That makes me happy.

#2 – Painting/Making – There is nothing else on the planet that gives me greater fulfillment than when I have a paintbrush or power tool in my hand. I’ve mentioned this before on my blog, but the world seems to be so much simpler and quieter and more manageable and more enjoyable and just all around better when I’m lost in a piece that I’m creating or turning into something else completely. Not every piece comes together exactly as I pictured it in my head, but the journey that gets me from beginning to end is really the whole purpose behind creating. This makes me happy.

#1 – Mikey – When I started this post I couldn’t decide how to sequence the top ten things that make me happy. Some are a given – of course I would value my family over nail polish with super powers and eternal radio. The troubling part was figuring out which was the perfect order. So I forgave myself before I even began and just listed things as they came to mind. This is all true except for the number one thing in my life that makes me happy, and that is my husband. He is and has always been the love of my life. He was the man I measured every other against. Sure there were other relationships with wonderful guys, but Mikey was always there in my mind and in my heart. I have snaps of memories when we were younger. Each snap is usually of me trying to capture his attention even if for the briefest of moments. In retrospect I was quite ridiculous at how available I always made myself to him, but it was like I had no capability of helping myself regain control and maintain any semblance of independence, which is strange because I have always been one to volunteer to go against the norm or the expected. He just completely captivated me with his rugged charm and, sometimes, nonsensical humor. I never stood a chance against resisting him; he was the boy every girl dreamed of having. I know this because they would all talk about how cute he was, how funny he was. Not me…no one had a clue I loved him. This is probably why it came as such a shock to some of our friends and family when we got married so quickly. True – life got in our way a time or two, but the bottom line is there is no one on this planet or any other planet that I love more or would rather experience this crazy life with. Mikey makes me the most happy.