Things that make YOU happy

[MissKatie]

This is a non judgemental thread.

Let's put down things that make you happy, it doesn't matter how cheesy or nerdy or silly you may find them or believe others will find them, don't be shy.

I'll start with a trio of things.

1. Being treated as female. As a trans woman this is probably my biggest source of joy. People calling me with female pronouns is really amazing.

2. A thorough debunking online. I love seeing a cocky person proclaiming something like anti-vax or flat earth and a person responds with a wonderful set of provable facts.

3. Rimworld. This stupid game has brought me an immense amount of joy (and anger, frustration) over the years. There's something so wonderful about watching your 0 skill doctor provide just enough care to your malaria ridden best colonist that they just escape death at 99% infection.

How about you?
Don't be embarrassed, I'll happily post some very embarrassing ones if people are a little tentative to post.
It also doesn't have to be anything embarrassing, it could simply be a nice cup of Yorkshire Gold tea after a long day

[Jen.]

Witnessing instances of instant karma in real life. Ones in recent years that were most enjoyable to watch were a young man doing a wheelie, dangerously weaving between people on a busy high street... then slipping forward and screaming as he crushed his balls on the crossbar. Another was a woman playing with her phone who stood next to me at a crossing after I'd already pressed the button (which was obvious because it was lit up) yet she kept pressing the button in what I assume was an unnecessary attempt to make the traffic stop quicker, and in the process dropped her phone which smashed on the pavement.

[AireleeBray]

I like this thread 😊

1. A clean kitchen - though I hate having to clean it.

2. At work when a child chooses they need a hug from me or they choose to hold my hand, knowing they feel like I can be their safety is an amazing feeling.

3. Eating a good icecream watching the birds on the river.

4. Mexican food

5.Singing in the car

6. My favourite walks I love it in the summer when me & my children try to catch grasshoppers it's just cute simple fun

[biscuits]

Any opportunity to use the words sossidge and cabbidge. Even though pale cabbage gives me the worst trapped wind ever.

When cats get their winter coats and their cheeks look all chubby and adorable.

Dancing and singing

Roasted sweet potato

Being silly and cheeky and feeling comfortable around people to be able to be that way

Spending time with my sister

Being able to get outdoors and be active

Having a challenge or a problem to solve

Learning new information and skills

[MissKatie]

Here's a slightly embarrassing one.

Using a cotton bud to clean my inner ear.
Yes yes, I know it's bad, but it's one of the most satisfying things ever lol

[Amara 94]

When I use to, cutting my hair
My neighbors cat
Learning something new
Maintaining a good sleep schedule
The vision that counselling may make things better, I haven’t even been to my first session so it’s a vision
The rare times I’m with someone where we don’t have to try to interact and just do

[gregarious_introvert]

I'm not going to list everything which makes me happy, because I'm one of those sickening people who seems to find happiness everywhere (if only the first 90% of my life had been the same!), but here are a few (starting with possibly the most cringeworthy):

being alive (something which I didn't think I would say, not so long ago);
waking every morning and wondering what excitement the new day will bring;
my health;
love - in all its forms;
my friends;
meeting new people;
nature;
travel, especially when my faltering attempt at speaking the language is understood;
live music, especially festivals / dancing;
walking / hiking;
good food, especially trying new dishes;
cooking, especially trying new dishes;
a well-kept ale;
good coffee;
good conversation;
finding a new (to me) band or artist on Spotify;
a nice, long drive (preferably off-motorway);
Charlton Athletic winning (at least, I think that makes me happy - I can't remember that far back!);
West End theatre;
London;

I could list at least a hundred other things, the innumerable little things which make me glad to be alive, but I'll leave it there.

[gregarious_introvert]

Originally Posted by The*Crafty*Elf

@gregarious_introvert: I think it's lovely that being alive and waking up in the morning makes you happy. I wish we could all feel like that

Thank you, Crafty - I wish I could've felt that way for the first 54 years of my life, or perhaps it's because I spent most of those years feeling the exact opposite that simply being alive and full of optimism feels so good now. I wish everybody could feel that way too - and one thing I omitted from my list is that being able to help others (and perhaps even bringing a little happiness into their lives) makes me happy too.

[Mellie]

Cake and latte

[Percy]

I second cake.

[Hayman]

Driving in general - traffic conditions don't often bother me unless I really have to be somewhere at a specific time.

Car restoration/general car material over on YouTube. I'm on there pretty much every day.

I love cats.

Despite it's problems, I do enjoy a few days down in London. I don't personally have much issue with it. It's one bit of 'exposure therapy' which, for me, actually works.

At the moment whilst the mornings are still dark when I have to get up - weekends for lie-ins.

I like certain bands and songs which is rather embarassing to admit to because most people cringe at!

The last one which is purely down to restrictions over the last two years - Christmas. I generally loathe it with a passion, but I will admit Christmas 2020 and 2021 have been the most enjoyable I've had in well over ten years. I suspect some of that has been down to no threats of feeling forced to attend parties.

Originally Posted by MissKatie

Here's a slightly embarrassing one.

Using a cotton bud to clean my inner ear.

Very much so! Some people hate it, but I love that scratchy/itchy sensation when cleaning my ears out. I find it quite theraputic. Another bright side to it is that I always have clean ears!

My 'unusual' enjoyment is watching car cleaning videos on Youtube - particularly ASMR ones. I find them incredibly relaxing to watch and as I like motoring anyway, it suits me down to the ground.

[purplerose]

My boyfriend
My Family
Cake
Sunny warm days
A good night's sleep
Nature
Food
The seaside
Walking
A clean & tidy home

[Percy]

The Big Bang Theory

[Moksha]

- Silence
- Random acts of kindness, however trivial.
- Books
- Big, bright, new supermarkets
- Bookshops (but not so much libraries or secondhand bookshops, which are often a bit grotty and depressing).
- Empty art galleries (especially The National Gallery in London)
- The London museums and parks
- A clean, empty room flooded with sunlight.
- The snow
- Early morning sunlight glinting on the snow.
- The paintings of Monet, Vermeer, Caravaggio and Bruegel.
- Thunderstorms after a heatwave
- Blue sky and sunshine
- When young people are polite
- People being polite to those in low status jobs
- Watching the sunlight shine on the spines of my books
- DVD boxsets
- Walking around Cambridge early on a bright, cold, sunny morning.
- Dogs...especially cockapoo puppies.
- A swearing parrot.
- Being very polite and seeing the surprise on people’s faces (because I’m a big, miserable guy with a shaved head).
- Driving to Cambridge or Oxford on a cold, bright Autumnal day, with the leaves turning, having a coffee, mooching around the bookshops, then sitting in another coffee shop and looking through the books I’ve bought.
- Talking to intelligent, interesting people who can talk without having to boast or show off or ‘beat’ you.
- Reading Asterix and Tintin comics (yeah, ok, I’m 45 but...well, just **** off)
- Drugs
- Reading P G Wodehouse novels out loud
- Laying in a hot bath listening to Stephen Fry read Sherlock Holmes on audiobook

[Dougella]

Libraries and librarians. Never met a miserable or unhelpful librarian.