10 Things That Made Me Feel Happy This Week

“If you ask yourself ‘What’s the best thing that happened today?’ it actually forces a certain kind of cheerful retrospection that pulls up from the recent past things to write about that you wouldn’t otherwise think about. If you ask yourself ‘what happened today?’ it’s very likely that you’re going to remember the worst thing, because you’ve had to deal with it. But if you ask what the best thing is, it’s going to some particular slant of light, or some wonderful expression somebody had, or some particularly delicious salad.”  – Nicholson Baker

Here’s my dose of “cheerful retrospection.”  What’s on your list this week?

1) Our daughter’s teacher told me she’s been running through the preschool yard yelling, “I’m a fast runner like my mommy!”  Relieved she said that instead of “I’m going to work on my computer like mommy” or “I’m going to drink wine like mommy!”

2) I had dinner with my family at my office.  We sat outside on a picnic table as the sun set, and I felt grateful to be part of a work community that values families and creates space for work and life to blend.

3) The race packet for this weekend’s Big Kahuna Half-Ironman floated into my inbox.  Gotta find my wetsuit.  Stat.

4) The power of a simple morning intention (“Stay focused on the task at hand”) changed the way my day went by and made me feel.  Our minds are strong machines when we put them to work.

5) Sleep came first.  At the expense of a few other things.  And it was totally, 110% worth it.  I’m realizing more and more that sleep is a non-negotiable (the experts agree — The Atlantic told us this week that lack of sleep makes us “unattractive and sad”).

6) My mom called to tell me my dad’s colonoscopy revealed a clean bill of health.  I’m sure he’ll be thrilled when he finds out I shared this publicly.

7) I taught a few 3-year-olds how to leap.

8) I had a strong pang of missing my husband one weekday afternoon.  Even when I had just seen him that morning.  So incredibly grateful for this.

9) I re-watched Brene Brown’s TED talk on vulnerability.

10) The sun shone.  A lot.

As usual, it’s about the little things!  Happy weekend!