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101 Simple Things That Make Me Happy: It’s the Little Things in Life

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What really matters?  It’s the small things in your life.  The seemingly insignificant, everyday, ordinary moments.  It’s those little things in life are the things that make ME happy and simple things that can make YOU happy, too.

Things That Make Me Happy 

What is it that makes you happy in life? 

Having lots of “stuff”? 

Or a big house? 

A long vacation? 

These things can add to your happiness… maybe.

Studies have shown that these big things don’t really matter in the long run. 

They don’t contribute to long-lasting happiness. But what really matters? 

The small things in your life.  Seemingly insignificant, everyday, ordinary things. 

It’s the little things in life that make ME happy and simple things that can make YOU happy, too.

Take a look and see if you agree.

Things that make me Happy pin

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Simple things that make me happy 

1.)  The full moon

2.)  The smell of cookies baking.

3.)  and eating those (chocolate chip, of course) cookies while they’re still hot.

4.)  Peppermint mocha creamer in my coffee

5.)  Watching the birds and squirrels come to the feeder

6.)  A good night’s sleep

7.)  My puppy, Sparky

8.)  Petting a kitty and hearing her purr, even if the kitty isn’t real. (Have you seen this one?)

9.)  Rain, especially with thunder and lightning

10.)  Movie theater popcorn

11.)  Playing with bubble wrap

12.)  A fresh haircut (and a good hair day)

13.)  Putting something on right out of the dryer

14.)  Clean sheets on my bed

15.)  A long, hot shower

16.)  A clean house

17.)  Reading a good book

18.)  A new tube of mascara

19.)  A warm bath

20.)  Meeting friends or family for dinner

21.)  Babies

22.)  Writing

23.)  Flowers in bloom

24.)  Sand between my toes

25.)  A trip to the car wash

movie theatre popcorn

25 more things that make me happy

26.)  The Grand Canyon (I know, that’s not so little…)

27.)  Scary movies

28.)  A soft tissue

29.)  Good music

30.)  Dark Chocolate

31.)  A very soft throw or blanket

32.)  A barely pink, mostly done steak with A1

33.)  Pizza, especially homemade with french fries (also homemade)  That’s a family tradition I’ll have to share with you one day.

34.)  Bread.  Any kind.  French, garlic, bagels, dinner rolls, you name it.

35.)  Netflix

36.)  Ice cold soft drinks

37.)  A glass of white wine

38.)  Watching old cartoons – Wile E. Coyote and the Roadrunner, Elmer Fudd, and Foghorn Leghorn, too

39.)  Skipping rocks across the pond

40.)  A brand new pair of underwear

41.)  Dropping my phone and not breaking the screen

42.)  An evening without a call from someone wanting to sell me something

43.)  Returning an item to the store with no questions asked (and no waiting)

44.)  Finding a five-dollar bill in the pocket of the coat I haven’t worn in ages

45.)  Yoga

46.)  Buying a tube of lipstick that’s actually the right color

47.)  Frixon pens and my new planner from Living Well Spending Less

48.)  Planning our retirement travels

49.)  Fresh strawberries

50.)  Being a woman, wife, mom, grandma, daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, and friend with an incredible network of people that love and support me.

Things that make me happy about SUMMER

Do you know the movie, Elf?  He says smiling is his favorite. 

Well, I like summer.  Summer is MY favorite.

51.) It is summer.  So it’s usually warm.

52.)  Visiting the lake frequently

53.)  Camping

54.)  Being outside

55.)  Sunshine on my shoulders

56.)  Swimming or just floating on a noodle in the lake

57.)  Going on a boat ride

58.)  Seeing friends I don’t see during the winter.

59.)  Picnics

60.)  Road trips

61.)  Wearing flip-flops

62.)  Getting a pedicure at a salon instead of a winter “do-it-yourself” job.

63.)  Longer daylight hours

64.)  A BBQ or fish fry

65.)  Fresh, red, ripe, juicy tomatoes

Games for a Grandma Shower

Things that make me happy about WINTER

This list was a little harder to create since summer is my very favorite.  (Did I already tell you that?)

I wouldn’t care if winter skipped a year…

But if it has to be winter, I really DO like these things:

66.)  A warm fire

67.)  A hot cup of cocoa with marshmallows

68.)  Being indoors and warm (do you see a pattern here?)

69.)  Watching the big, white snowflakes fall and not having to go anywhere

70.)  Working from home so I don’t have to navigate snowy roads

71.)  Seeing friends I don’t see in the summer

72.)  Wearing jeans, sweaters, and boots

73.)  Christmas lights

74.)  Watching the Christmas Vacation and Elf movies over & over again

75.)  Making Christmas cookies with the girls

76.)  Soup.  Hot.  With Oyster crackers or cornbread.

77.)  A chance to start again with a new year

78.)  Hosting our annual Daytona 500 watch party

79.) Binge watching the Hallmark Channel

80.)  Spring is coming soon

Things that make me happy as a Grandma

81.)  It started when I found out I was going to BE a Grandma

82.)  Cuddling that newborn baby for the first time

83.)  That clean baby smell

84.)  Baby soft skin

85.)  When she held my finger

86.)  Buying baby things for a girl  (since I had sons and my first grandbaby is a girl)

87.)  Seeing them walk for the first time

88.)  A big hug around the neck

89.)  “I love you, Grandma”

90.)  Snuggling up to read a good book together

91.)  Watching them sleep

92.)  Teaching them things and learning from them, too!

93.)  Hearing the giggles when they tell me a joke.

94.)  Singing “The littlest worm.  I ever saw.” or the real version, “The other day, I met a bear.” and hearing them giggle and sing along

94A.)  My son called me later to say the kids were singing that song and he remembered when I sang it to him…

95.)  Blowing bubbles

blowing bubbles

96.)  Taking them on outings to see and do things

97.)  Watching them check for new snacks in the refrigerator when they come to visit

98.)  The surprised and happy look on their faces when I get to pick them up from school

99.) Getting to do all the things again – coloring, playing with play-doh, a good game of hide-and-seek but being able to send them home when we’re done.

100.)  The thing that makes me most happy about being a Grandma really, is being a part of their lives!

Other things that make me happy

101.) The beauty in the world

102.)  Waking up every day

103.)  Friendships

104.)  Love

105.)  My wonderful 80+-year-old parents

106.)  Having a husband, kids, and Grandkids that love me

107.)  An extended family that finds ways to stay in touch and remain close

108.)  I’ve lived long enough to enjoy these little things in life

109.)  I have a ton of things that make me happy

110.)  People visiting me here at PassingDownTheLove.com

111.)  and sharing my articles on Facebook and Pinterest (you can do that at the top or bottom of this post)

All these are things that make me happy.

What are the things that make you happy?

Do you think to yourself “I want to be happy”, but you don’t know how to get there? 

Try seeing the little things. 

Take note of the times you feel content. 

Notice what makes you smile. 

It’s the little things in life that truly make us happy.

Share with me. 

Tell me in the comments below – What is it that makes you happy?

In the meantime,

Keep Passing Down the Love,

kimberly signature

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