Friday, September 28, 2012

Happiness

A friend posted yesterday about things that make her happy.  She was inspired to write the post after reading a list that another friend made.  I can't think of a better thing to "go viral" than a list of what makes people happy!

Without further ado (and without much time left before the kids wake up), I'm going to see how many items I can get on my list before my day begins in earnest.

1.  Last night's sunset at my parent's house while celebrating my brother's big 3-0 birthday
the view while eating outside on a warm summer fall evening
2.  the quiet stillness of the morning after I've finished a run, everyone is still asleep and the possibilities of the day lie ahead just waiting to be discovered
3.  the sticky kisses I get from my little girls after eating syrupy pancakes
4.  coffee
5.  riding in the car with my son while he talks non-stop about school, his friends and his activities
6.  running on the trails of Forest Park
7.  finally relaxing on the couch with my husband after the kids are in bed, watching a show on netflix and just enjoying being together
8.  picnics on the front lawn
9.  watching my son read to his little sisters
10.  listening to Pandora and having spontaneous dance parties in the kitchen...then laughing hysterically as the kids try to imitate all my crazy dance moves
11.  sleeping late (or at least resting in bed) while my husband makes breakfast for the kids on sunday mornings
12.  lazy family bike rides
13.  watching how good my little brother is with his nieces and nephew and knowing how much joy awaits him when his first child (a daughter) is born next week
14.  going on a solo vacation with just my husband (more on that in a later post!) and being amazed at how much we love just being together
15.  Indian summer
16.  sitting on the floor with my dog's head in my lap
17.  knowing that we are stronger than we think we are
18.  taking the family to see my in-laws and extended family every summer and watching all the cousins play together
19.  seeing how happy my parents are after 43 years of marriage
20.  sitting on our porch swing at the end of a long day

Wow.  I made that list in just a few minutes and it brought so many great memories/thoughts to the forefront of my mind!  I could write an endless list of the things that make me happy -- I am thankful for so much in my life.

This may be a rare (never-happened-before kind of rare) day where I post twice.  I am determined to write again today about the Mystery Trip that I am going on tomorrow.  And since this is also supposed to be a blog about running, I may actually share some details on how my training is going.  :)

What makes you happy?    

- Kristen

8 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Thanks for the inspiration, Amanda! I loved yours, too. :)

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  2. A great list. Many are on mine too (I didn't post one, just in my head.) Awesome sunset and my little brother turned 30 this summer too.

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    1. Thanks, Tayarra! I was two weeks away from turning 10 when my brother was born so we only share the same decade for two weeks every ten years! :)

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  3. I love this post! Such a fun way to gather old memories. Beautiful sunset!

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    1. It was great to see how easy it was to come up with a list of 20 things that make me happy -- and, yes, it was a gorgeous sunset! Kind of fun to read other people's lists, too, and realize how many little things make us happy.

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  4. #2 makes me wish I was a morning runner.

    And #6 is what I am MOST excited about when I visit Portland in December.

    I came here by way of Amanda (Runninghood). I love POSITIVE, mindful, conscious, reflective running bloggers. You definitely fit right into that category.

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    1. I *just* became a morning runner about two months ago after thinking it was something I could never, ever get used to doing. I really love it now. I ran 10 miles (on the treadmill) yesterday morning before the kids woke up for school. I do find, however, that runs seem harder in the morning. I think my ideal running time (for my body) is around 9 or 10am. But for my schedule (and in order to have my "free" time to do other things), I love doing it at 5 or 5:30.

      Thanks so much for your sweet comments about my blog. :)

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