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POINT OF VIEW: Things That Make Me Happy

Buddha Board

Hey all,

January was a difficult month for me personally, as readers of this column will know.

Life moves on, though, and carries us with it. So for today, I want to step back, take a deep breath, and share some of the things that make me happy.

1) Snuggling in Bed With My Honey: This and hot showers are two of my favorite things. Feeling Mark’s warmth next to me, once the triumphs and trials of the day are over, centers me and makes me happy. Until I get too warm and need my own space. LOL… I think I must have been a cat in a previous life.

2) Dark Chocolate Gelato: The really good stuff, preferably from Divine Gelato in Midtown Sacramento. I can’t have it at night – the caffeine will keep me awake – so these days it’s a rare treat. Really, though, dark chocolate in any form. It’s my writer food.

3) Game Night With Friends: Our neighbor/friend/landlady Kathy often has us over for game night, along with a few other friends, and the evening flies by as we play, talk, and laugh (and sometimes have a great meal together beforehand). In Italian, they say “A tavola non si invecchia” – at the dinner table one doesn’t grow old.

4) Italian: Speaking of Italian, it’s our adopted second language. I don’t have any Italian heritage that I know of. We started learning it when we were planning a trip to Italy on 2005, and it has brought us some of our closest friends, as well as becoming our own “secret” language out in the world.

5) Binge Watching Robotech: When that opening music plays, my heart still leaps. My first and favorite anime series. Fun fact – it’s in three separate arcs that were originally separate series. Harmony Gold bought them and wrote and produced bridge episodes between them – both of which I managed to miss when it originally aired, which was hella confusing as all the characters suddenly changed.

6) When the Writing Flies: Those moments when I just become immersed in my story, and my fingers fly across the keyboard as if they were enchanted. It’s truly like flying, and I wish writing was always like that.

7) Being Immersed in a Good Book: Speaking of immersion, I love when I’m reading a really good book, especially when it is cold and rainy outside – you know the tree-branches-lashing-the-windows rain-pouring-down-like-the-wrath-of-God kind of rainstorm, and me inside, snuggled under a warm blanket with my book. * purrs *

8) The Triumphs of Friends: When an author friend of mine gets a great review or sells that book they’ve been working on for years. Or a local friend gets good medical news or buys a new purse or finally sells their house. Or a family member has a new child or makes a great batch of jam. 🙂

9) Painting on My Buddha Board: I have this little board that uses water and a brush to paint ephemeral “paintings” on a stone surface. It’s so fricking zen, and calms me down when I need a brief moment of respite.

10) Living My Truth: I came out as a gay man in 1992, and have never looked back. It has brought so much depth and richness to my life that I can’t imagine being any other way.

To all my friends out there, what makes you happy? Stop and take a moment to think about it, and then go do something for yourself today. Love y’all!

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6 thoughts on “POINT OF VIEW: Things That Make Me Happy”

  1. Wow… what an awesome list! And a good idea… think I will do my own list, cause it’s not something I have considered before. And it seems like something I should have done a long time ago.

  2. This is great. I have a 4″ x 5 1/2″ gold piece of paper leaning against the window in my office with a list of “things that make me feel good.” I’ll spare you the full list, but reading about what makes other people happy should definitely be on there 🙂

    There. I just added it.

  3. Congratulations on finding the happy side of life! One of my pets did something stupid in December and it was five weeks of tests and procedures and agony trying to save him. The monetary price tag was very high, but I am sooo happy for the following:
    1) We were able to save him
    2) High credit card limits, interest-free periods, and the financial ability to service the debt until it’s paid
    3) The unconditional love of pets
    4)The ability of pets to bounce back like nothing happened!

  4. That was awesome. Thank you for sharing your truths and happiness.

    Our dang author community makes me happy!
    Watching my kids do their things makes me happy.
    Having inappropriate conversations with my husband makes me happy.
    Writing retreats make me DELIRIOUSLY happy.
    HEAVY METAL CONCERTS. Well, concerts of just about any kind make me ridiculously happy.
    Buying and playing vinyl on my record player makes me soo happy.
    Seeing one of my students reach success even in teenie tiny ways makes me happy.
    Talking about positive, hopeful things with folks who want positivity and hope makes me happy.
    Writing stories and hearing that they’ve meant something to other people makes me happy.
    And I”m sure I could come up with a bunch more. And I should. Thanks for reminding me!

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