Daily Pleasures

I had a friend post a fabulous article entitled "5 Habits of Happy People."  It explains that getting a "make over" can mean more than losing weight or cleaning out your closet, but it can also mean to change your prespective to a positive one.  "While unhappy people, to paraphrase Tolstoy, might be dysfunctional in 10,000 different ways, upbeat folks have some habits in common."  Those habits are to Reach Out, Be Thankful, Live Your Passions, Make Do, and Enjoy Simple pleasures.  Isn't that the truth?!  The best things in life often aren't things and they're usually free.  Since one of the key tenets of happiness is being able to savor small pleasures, here's my list of 101 Pleasures...

1. coloring (yes, grown-ups can do it, too)
2. temple trips
3. a check on my To Do list
4. freshly cut grass
5. s’mores
6. a home cooked meal (thanks, Mom!)
7. Dad’s omelets on Saturday morning
8. James Taylor
9. a smile from a stranger
10. afternoon naps
11. an email from Liang
12. red toe nails
13. Bones
14. art museums
15. a great hair day
16. babysitting the Larsen girls
17. birds singing in the trees
18. bright blue skies
19. cheesy, uplifting musicals
20. watching Daniel do Bushi Ban karate
21. Christmas lights bright against a night sky
22. church steeples
23. Alex-isms (he says the FUNNIEST things!)
24. a great book
25. fresh, fragrant sheets
26. cloud shadows racing across the mountains
27. cousins
28. eating with chopsticks
29. daddy hugs
30. eyelashes on a sleeping child’s cheeks
31. fair food
32. finding forgotten dollars in your pocket
33. finding the perfect outfit...on sale
34. a sincere compliment
35. fluffy towels
36. fountain soda
37. painting a room
38. fresh bread and butter
39. Girl Scout Cookies
40. great stories
41. blogging
42. Friday nights
43. green lights all the way home
44. Beatles
45. a laugh out loud surprise
46. happy endings...even if they're fictional
47. Christmas Eve program
48. hot chocolate
49. inspiring blogs
50. lunch with old roommates
51. ice-cream cones
52. movie theater popcorn
53. a moving melody
54. my nerd shows (AKA the Sci-Fi Channel)
55. listening to Ian read
56. new destinations
57. old friends...
58. ...new friends
59. old photographs
60. oreos and milk
61. pay day
62. playing hookey
63. a stylish haircut by Tricia
64. massages
65. a warm wind on my face
66. concerts with Chris
67. staying in my pajamas all day
68. a stamp in my passport
69. Pride and Prejudice
70. scratching my brother’s back through Sacrament meeting
71. Project Runway
72. reading a child a bedtime story
73. chocolate
74. when my students realize they ARE smart
75. walks with nephews, nieces, and my camera
76. really great advice
77. Josh’s giggle
78. saying thank you
79. singing along to the radio and knowing all the words
80. sky-blue-pink sunsets
81. sleeping in
82. Loriel’s desserts
83. snuggling with my brown and white quilt
84. soft pjs
85. Christmas music
86. sunshine
87. Text Twist
88. office supplies
89. my pearls
90. swimming on a hot day
91. the first flowers of spring
92. Indiana Jones
93. the perfect taco
94. Facebook games with Lisa
95. the library
96. using your favorite dishes
97. singing with the choir
98. watching a fire crackle
99. my marked up scriptures
100. planting flowers
101. forever families