I cannot, for the life of me, think of anything particularly amusing to write about this week.
All that’s been going on around these parts is the Big Flood. The National Disaster. The National Guard people and Humvees at every corner, sand bags and detours and fish all confused, swimming in the street.
And lots and lots of people in lots and lots of pain over the loss of their homes, belongings, peace of mind.
There’s just nothing funny about that.
I had this same problem following the earthquake in Haiti. How can I write some goofy column when so many are dead, dying, suffering?
The world is a terrible place. The world is a wonderful place. It just depends on what kind of day you’re having.
I like to think of this column as one of the small good things that can maybe provide a smile, a LOL or maybe even a LMAO!
One of my students asked me not too long ago how to be happy. I told him I don’t know.
I think happiness is an individual thing. Kind of like your eye color, or your target heart rate.
But I told him what works for me.
I am able to maintain a healthy degree of happiness by remembering to enjoy all the little things. After all, you can’t count on too many great, big happy things, not every day can be Christmas morning, but there are all kinds of little happy things, little unnoticed miracles, all day long, pretty much every day.
Like kids barefoot and laughing and catching fish in the middle of Route 18 – right smack in the middle of a National Disaster.
So, back then, when the earthquake happened, and my student was trying to find a way to be happy, I felt compelled to compile a list of all the little things in life that make me happy:
Russel Crowe
Clive Owen
70 degree day in March
“Survivor”
“Project Runway”
“Sex in the City”
“House”
dogs
cats
some people
cartwheels
Manhattans
Harpoon IPA
margaritas
wine – all kinds
matzoh ball soup
those little umbrellas you put in drinks
hot tub
hot shower
Tabasco sauce
the Heat Meiser and all those claymation Christmas shows
a big, fat, orange, rising June full moon
sunrise, sunset
Susan Boyle when she sang on that show
Netflix
iTunes
Newbury Comics
“Charlotte’s Web” the book
riding the chairlift with my kids
riding the chairlift without my kids
Christmas Eve
Yankee Candles
Pixar movies
bare feet
fresh cut grass
snow men
kickboxing class
making a great spinning CD
singing really loud in the car
heated seats
Fenway Park
sunglasses
patio tomatoes with fresh mozzarella, olive oil and balsamic vinegar
the frogs in summer
Fluff
pajamas
Milky Way ice cream
a fire – indoors our outdoors
jumping on the trampoline
texting
leaf blowing
the end of school bell
my morning coffee
coming home
And so on and so on.
And that’s all I can think of lately when I drive past these homes that are now sitting in the lake and see all the things ruined and lost.
Sometimes all you have are the little things.
And a lot of the time, if you string them all together you can make one big happy.
So, if you have your own list of all the little things, please comment back and post it. I could use another smile today.
Grizzworld 
Right on, Marcia.
I’m with you on all that, except Clive Barker.
He’s a sh*t-head, in my book.
I am mindful of a few other things thaty make me happy.
The bright yellow glow of forsythia, this time of year.
A big springtime bonfire.
Snow, still on Monadnock.
Lilacs, soon.
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…he’s the bastid who screwed up Hal’s film.
Diving into thick snow, then back into the sauna.
Real maple syrup.
Dylan Dreier’s weather forecast.
Charlize Theron.
A Stratocaster that stays in tune for a whole set.
Perfect tube compression.
Washing my car under partly cloudy skies.
Mary Anne as Ginger.
The first real tan of the summer.
A clear shot at a six-point buck.
Old boots with brand-new socks.
Swimming down, down, down, down, and finding a quarter.
The smell of candy apples at the fair.
Hearing my kids sing along to the Ting-Tings.
Excellent seats at Fenway.
Seeing Marcia laugh.
Grilling a perfect steak and cracking a cold beer on a Friday afternoon.
Grizzworld.
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Fridays, teaching, SUMMER, snow days, girls night. 🙂
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So many things…..favorites,
the smell of sunscreen and salt
a clean house
driving the jeep with no roof/doors, listening to great music
my kids freshly shampood hair
sleeping in with the breeze coming in the window
staying up late reading cuz I can’t put the book down
shopping
chatting with someone with no distractions or hurry to get somewhere
big hugs
watching the girls learn new things and being surprised by the things they do/say
yard work
the feeling you get when you finish report cards and progress reports and know you have another 10 weeks before you have to do it again
my coffee
Thanks Marcia
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Well, then -I loved this so very much !!!! It speaks to my broken heart about our town- Actually my heart is a bit broken about a variety for things, but you speak to the our town part so eloquently-
I very much agree with the philosophy of counting on the little things to keep one happy- It’s the little things that save my butt every day-
Things like- A great spin with friends 🙂
A sunset over the lake-
A good run on a nice day-
The smell of spring flowers-
A long slow cup of coffee on a weekend morning with nowhere particular to go –
Bruce- the Indigo Girls- Little Feat, for that matter-
Some really good chocolate-
Summer time Peaceful Meadows ice cream in a cone-
A day, or many days, on the beach in the sun and water-
Warmth-Sunshine- Together-
A Red Sox game, preferably a winning one-
Sitting with my dog on my lap for a while-
Watching UMASS Lacrosse playing well-
Watching Tufts Softball playing well-
Sitting on my porch watching the birds at the feeder-
Dinner at Chatta Box or Crispi’s- Yum-
Those are a few of mine- Like the idea of creating a nice long list to look at when things aren’t going that well-
Thanks-
alice
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Laughter
People who smile
Hugs
Helping
Fixing
Watching things or people bloom
fresh cut grass
sand in my shoes
steamed clams
Golf
Dry Fly Fishing for trout
Old movies (Hud, Long Hot Summer, Double Indemnity (old version), Cool Hand Luke…)
Foreign Films (Manon of the Spring)
Deep sleep dreams
Memories
Autumn
Christmas and New Year’s Eve
Snowmen and snowball fights
Red Tail Hawks
Using a snow bank as a cooler
Long Trail Brewery
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Thanks Marcia…sometimes it is hard to remember it is the little things that makes us get us through the hard times…here goes
an ice coffee on a hot day
the smell of a baby
freshly washed sheets
the smell of the beach
the feel of the sand between my toes
listening to my three kids talk to each other and realizing how big they are getting
having someone tell me something great one of my children did
waking up and realizing you still have 4 more hours before you have to get out of bed
Bruce, U2, REM, Coldplay, Brad Paisley, Kenny Chesney, Sugarland, on the radio
Watching “It’s A Wonderful Life” for the first time each Christmas season
a big hug for no reason at all
a call from a friend
finding money in your pocket you did not know you had
looking at your kids and your heart bursting with love
thinking of lost loved ones not only with a tear but with a big smile
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It is always all the little things, which just blend with the big ones.
I often have to make the list, or stop and watch, and remember, it’s a perfect day,
and I’m glad to spend it with you. Curtiss and I kayaked on the lake tonight, and
then came home and watched the perfect sunset next to a warm fire and a glass of wine.
Thanks for spending some of your perfect/imperfect day with me.
H,
Barbara
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getting into a bed with fresh sheets
a juicy peach
a bright full moon
laying in a hammock with a slight breeze and a great book
the sound of the ocean
the sun on my face
the smell of pine trees in Wellfleet
an August game at Fenway
Sundays
Sundays with the Patriots
music and singing loud
driving fast with the top down
Johnny Depp
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My two cents
The roar of the MGM lion before the movie
Seeing tadpoles in a little puddle
when my kids respect their curfew
when the lights go out just long enough to scare you during a thunderstorm
trying a new candy bar
being a participant and not just a spectator
a long ride through New Hampshire
the first leap into the ocean in June
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Love this, Jerry. Thanks for sharing 🙂
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