Do you have those moments in a day, that while not Earth shattering in themselves, give you a little jolt and puts a spring in your step? These tiny moments aren’t ones you’re going to fight a rabid wildebeest bare chested over or stab a member of the clergy for - but they do give you a little fleeting tickle of joy. It’s momentary, but it’s yours. It’s possible you haven’t shared these with others as you may feel they’re so insignificant, but when they come around, they make you grin.
Research has shown (here) that long term happiness is NOT the finer things in life (more money, better employment, the amount of sex we have) . The reality is that most of what makes us happy is pretty prosaic. Minor in fact.
Here’s some things off the top of my head (you ever noticed how long it takes you to create things off the top of your head?) that aren’t going to lead to long term happiness. They may not even last as long as it takes to read the sentence, but they’re little things that give us a little jolt of pleasure.
Opening a new packet of coffee and taking a whiff.
Cleaning my ears with an earbud and having a 1/35th of an orgasm.
When the train pulls into the station and opens the doors directly in front of me.
When I knock my coffee mug and it doesn’t spill everywhere.
Flicking channels and finding something random I want to watch – and it’s just starting.
Peeling any skin off in a large ‘satisfying’ chunk. (as apposed to unsatisfying I suppose)
This cat.
So what about you dear reader. What supposedly minor things give you a lift? What are the little jolts that make you happy?
5 comments:
Peeling skin off ? ? ? ? ?
Reminds me of that most unsavoury scene from Austin Powers where Goldmember says is a bad Dutch accent "Ooooh dats a keeper !"
Hey Anon,
I just knew the first comment would be about the skin thing. ;o)
I can't write nice pleasant things all the time!
Did I mention I'm from Holland, isn't that vierd?
I'm not actually from Holland. That's a complete lie. I don't get clogs and tulips are useless.
ha ha i love that cat too, but this one makes me giggle like a crazy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ-jv8g1YVI (sorry dunno how to do the fancy thing in comments)
Sleeping in makes me happy, as does lying in bed with my cat in my arms, she's lying on her back kneeding the air with her paws, purring.
It is the little things that count, stop and smell the roses as the old saying goes.
The smell of fresh rain after a stinking hot day...
The way snow crunches under your feet and how snow muffles everything around.
Getting a "we want to read your book" requests from literary agents and editors.
Cuddles from my kidlets and "I love you mummy" for no reason at all (not because the biccie jar is next to me).
How cool is peeling!!
I'm just saying...
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