Celebrating the International Day of Happiness

This morning, when I turned on Facebook, a friend announced that today is the International Day of Happiness, and asked: "What makes you feel happy?" And it was lovely to stop and reflect about, and be grateful for, the many things that do make me feel happy. I found that the things that make me feel happy are a regular mixture of mundane and more uplifting:

the Bluebird of Happiness

• a good stretch, whether physical, intellectual, or spiritual
• a mug of coffee and a bar of Cadbury's Dairy Milk chocolate (yes, I have plebeian taste in chocolate, and I'm proud of it!)
• spending Boxing Day (or Christmas Day Number Two, as my mother calls it), with my parents, our family, and my sister's family
• sunlight sparkling on water
• getting my teeth into a fresh to-do list
• a good book, and time to curl up and lose myself in it
• a handclasp or hug from a friend
• the glingle on my phone that means a call or text from my DB or my children
• walking through green woods and meadows
• talking about my beloved Unitarianism
• the poetry and prose of John O'Donohue
• an unexpectedly cancelled meeting
• the sight of mountains or the sea, taking my breath away
• the satisfaction of seeing a picture begin to take shape out of the cross stitches
• being listened to or listening, respectfully and deeply
• the weight of a purring cat on my knees and the feel of her soft fur beneath my hand
• the gift of writing
• being absorbed in a zen doodle
• lying back in a hot, soaky bath, with a good book
• exploring a new city with my best beloved

And I am so very grateful for all these things. Having thought about them, and written them down, I hope I'll be able to revisit them if ever I feel down, and smile at the thought of them. Your list will no doubt be different. On this special day, what make you feel happy?