Today is day 12 of my #100daysofwritinghappy and one of the unexpected aspects of this challenge is choosing what to write about each day. When I stop and think, I realise just how many things bring me joy. For today’s writing, I wanted to write a really specific list of things that make me happy:
- the crackle of a fire when it’s howling outside;
- Austin’s deep laugh which leaves him breathless with joy (usually elicited by Evelina’s buffoonery);
- talking with my mum on the phone for ages even though we are going to see each other later that day / week;
- the stillness of a lake in the evening;
- being the first to walk on freshly fallen snow;
- when Rich and I say the same thing at exactly the same time in exactly the same intonation;
- my dad’s hugs;
- the smell of my children’s breath and necks – I know this is weird but I love it;
- the blaze of colour in the trees in autumn;
- being far enough into the book to know it’s going to end soon but not so far that it’s almost over;
- making kids at school laugh;
- making kids at school understand something they didn’t before;
- making kids at school think;
- an Evelina selfie;
- laughing with my colleagues in the department base so hard that I can’t breathe;
- buying any kind of stationery but particularly pens and notebooks;
- documenting our lives and remembering our experiences;
- the song of a blackbird;
- that moment in the rain in the film version of Pride and Prejudice when Lizzie and Darcy argue;
- clearing out my inbox;
- time on my own to think and write and relax and be;
- time with my family to hug and laugh and experience life;
- walking through the woods on a sunny summer’s day so the light dapples through the leaves, the crunch underfoot, a dog with a stick, the musty scent of the undergrowth, the coolness;
- travelling somewhere new or somewhere loved, preferably on a plane;
- memories of our holidays;
- holding Evelina’s hand;
- a proper kiss from Austin with no teeth or snot (although I’ll take what I get);
- when I’m restless in bed and Rich puts his hand on my back;
- music and dancing;
- night silence.
Notes From My Day 