Free Happy
Okay, grouch-break! Free happy:
- toddler giggles
- grey rainy days in october when the woods glow with yellow maple leaves above wet, black tree trunks
- waking up early and realizing it’s saturday and rolling over to go back to sleep
- getting into a warm sunny car on a cool day
- hot showers
- full-body hugs
- warm brownies with vanilla ice cream (okay, that’s not free but it’s accessible)
- watching my dog play with a stick the way a cat would, tossing it and barking at it
- sitting down to dinner with my family every night
- using a big word like flaneur or schadenfreude accurately in a sentence
- someone else emptying the clean dishwasher
- the sun-sparkles on freshly fallen snow
- my boys being old enough to play a board game for 2 hours without parental intervention
- four words: nap on the beach
- youtube
- how quiet it is during a snowstorm
- hanging with friends that really get me
- diving in and swimming underwater from one end of the pool to the other
- The Daily Show
- new magazines (again, not free, but close)
- human-free inter-species friendships:
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- seeing plants starting to push up out of the ground in my garden in the spring
- re-reading a childhood favorite book with my kids
- personal snail mail
- cicadas and owls in my woods at night
- did I mention brownies?
Have any of your own to share?
I'm a two-and-a-half time ovarian cancer survivor who is not only determined to make it to sixty but also to look damn good while getting there. My two boys, husband, and dog are counting on me to get out of bed every day, so I might as well wear something cute and make each one COUNT. I'd love to hear from you about your odyssey - sharing makes it all easier to take. And laugh at.
The Carcinista 
Ed said,
February 24, 2010 at 9:57 PM
a smile on my beautiful wife’s face
a perfect wave (any time of year)
our boys jumping in leaf piles, giggling the whole time
watching the dog chase his tail
runner’s high after a really great run or race
flips off the diving board
capturing a special moment through the camera lens
getting a great night sleep
reading to the kids
doing just about anything with the family
Denise said,
February 24, 2010 at 11:27 PM
first warm day after a long winter….
$20.00 in your jeans….
realizing you are a year younger than you thought…
Rebecca said,
February 25, 2010 at 8:15 AM
The smell of toddler hair after a long, sudsy bath 🙂
Amy Hofmann said,
February 25, 2010 at 9:52 AM
– Someone else shampooing your hair.
– Your toddler’s excitement at learning a new word.
– Watching a snowstorm from the warm comfort of the indoors.
– Naps. Anytime. Anywhere.
– Spontaneous kid hugs.
– belly laughs.
– my new walk-in closet (thanks dear!)
Bemberley said,
February 25, 2010 at 10:34 AM
It changes every day. So far today I was gleeful from the early morning laughter I shared with my husband when I woke up panic-stricken from a ridiculous nightmare that involved the horse (that we don’t own) ending up in the pool (that we also don’t own) for the second time in a row during one of our raucous parties (as you know, this part is true); only this time it was winter and he went right through the pool cover and was going to hurt himself trying to get out so that we could move the cars and bring him to the garage to get warm and dry off.
Dave is happy because both kids packed for themselves completely unsupervised and are now at school which has given him the opportunity to sneak a peek at what superior packers he has spawned–nothing is missing and all space is utilized efficiently. Different strokes I guess, but I’m with you–warm brownies.
tea said,
February 25, 2010 at 11:17 AM
Warm fuzzy socks fresh out of the dryer!
marianne said,
February 25, 2010 at 1:12 PM
sleeping in a tent during a spring rainstorm…
Emily said,
February 25, 2010 at 1:49 PM
– a great run
– rubbing your dog’s belly
– feeling understood
Ann said,
February 25, 2010 at 6:11 PM
Getting the Bag of Crap on Woot.com.
🙂
Denise said,
February 25, 2010 at 9:59 PM
first kisses
coming home to a clean house after vacation
other people telling you how great your kids are!
warm memories of childhood
old friends
Julie said,
February 26, 2010 at 8:24 PM
Thank you. Thank you for reminding me that it is the little things that matter. To often life gets too busy and you get wrapped up in poor me. Great pictures too!
Donna said,
March 1, 2010 at 10:29 AM
Puffy Clouds against a beautiful blue sky
Bumblebees buzzing around new flowers. (When they are buried in the blossoms I pet their bottoms…I know I am weird…I just love bumblebees) No…. I never get stung.
Finding and reading your journal last week. You are amazing!!!!
Ruthann said,
March 3, 2010 at 9:25 AM
since there is a lot of talk about sleep and naps here, I am going to have to vote for a freshly made up bed with that fresh out of the washer/dryer smell….
and reading this blog….which makes me laugh/cry and everything in between