Middle Aged Mama

Blogging about my Midlife Adventures

50 Things That Make Me Happy

· ·

When life is full of stress and challenges (like I shared last week in What’s Been Happening Round Here), I find it helps to think about – and do! – some of the things that make me happy.

But first, I need to know what they are!

Here’s the list I came up with …

50 things that make me happy

50 Things That Make Me Happy

1 – A cuddle with my Bear (aka the hubster).
2 – A cup of tea (yes, there is clearly a lot of English blood in these veins!).
3 – A nanna nap.
4 – Hugging and hanging with my kidults.
5 – Writing and blogging.
6 – Catching up for coffee with friends.
7 – Cuddles with my kitty, Miss Fleur.

ma kitty - Copy

8 – Cute cat videos!
9 – A clean and tidy house.
10 – Taking a shower just for the heck of it.
11 – Home cooked food.
12 – Losing myself in a book.
13 – Being a pillion passenger when my Bear rides a motorbike.
14 – Indulging in a massage from my favourite therapist, who uses aromatherapy products.
15 – Chocolate!
16 – Spoiling the people I love.
17 – Playing word games like Scramble.
18 – Talking about my business (Front Page Web Writing) and my work.
19 – Doing a great job for a client.
20 – Browsing through old photos.
21 – Feeling the warmth of the sun on my skin on a cool day.
22 – Feel good music – eg Pharrell’s “Happy”, Bruno Mars “Treasure”.
23 – Getting away from it all with my Bear.

cuddly bear

24 – Working on a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle.
25 – Doing things as a family – eg going for a picnic (getting rare now the kids are grown).
26 – Browsing funny memes and pics on Pinterest.
27 – A good chick flick.
28 – Pottering in my vegie patch.
29 – A gorgeous view – eg beach, country, mountains, city lights.
30 – Working from home and being my own boss.
31 – Paddling at the beach.
32 – Waking up in the morning without an alarm.
33 – Watching a thunderstorm while I am safely inside.
34 – That first smell of jasmine that lets me know Spring is on the way.
35 – Being able to wear perfume after not being able to for years because of allergies (hooray for hay fever injections!).
36 – Jumping on a trampoline!
37 – Climbing into a bed that’s been made up with clean, sun dried, sheets.
38 – Snuggling under a soft blankie when the weather is cold.
39 – Finding a bargain, especially of the clothing kind – something that looks fabulous on me and not just on the hanger!
40 – Doing craft with friends and/or family.
41 – Public speaking/leading workshops in anything I am passionate about (eg blogging).
42 – Taking care of my family.
43 – Knowing that I’m looking good (eg all dressed up for a night out, or just a good hair day).

happy Janet - Copy

44 – Binge watching those House Hunting shows on a quiet weekend.
45 – Friendly people.
46 – Having roses from my garden in a vase on my kitchen bench.
47 – Good conversation.
48 – Learning new things.
49 – Being financially comfortable and not having to worry about bills or buying a new dress if I feel like it.
50 – Getting comments here on my blog!

It occurs to me that very few of these items are actually “things” … interesting!

And, that I need to make sure I do some of these more often – such as #40, doing craft with friends.

What would be on YOUR list of “50 things that make me happy”?! Feel free to borrow some of my ideas!

Reader Interactions

Comments

    • The funny thing is Ingrid, it took me a while to come up with this list but since then I can’t stop thinking of extra things that I should add!

  2. Oh I love this list! What a great idea – I might have to do something similar! I’m with you on the cup of tea – it really does make everything better. Chocolate, chick flicks and home cooked food are also right up there on my list of favourites and there’s no better way to start the day than sans alarm!

  3. I had three showers in one day recently. Just because.

    And I LOOOOOVE storms when I’m home. But of course as a former SE-QLD commuter yourself you know that most often you’re going through the storms…

    • Did you hear the thunder this morning? All kinds of weird at that time of day, at this time of year!

    • Oh Karen, what a lovely thing to say! Thank you so much 🙂

  5. Oh what a lovely list! These are a mix of things you cannot put a price on and those ones are extra special. Getting to know more about Janet is what I did by reading this list too! Thank you for sharing! Denyse #teamIBOT

    • Bless you Denyse, think lots of happy thoughts during your recovery x

    • You know, it took me a while to think of 50 things but now I can’t stop!!!

  8. Oh we have so much overlap! Cups of tea are so my thing and so are House Hunters marathons, just for starters. What a lovely list of simple pleasures!

    • My house hunter marathons drive the hubster batty, but I use the time to fold the washing usually so am killing two birds with one stone 🙂

  9. So much good stuff here, and one’s I agree with too.

    I just put Pharrell’s song on my phone to use for gymnsastics warm ups. I thought it would be upbeat and fun for the kids, plus it’s the version from Minions 🙂

    • I remember they used it to call us back from breaks at one of the Problogger events a couple of years ago, which is a v happy memory too 🙂

  12. I rally enjoyed this post. I would love to get back into reading more. I know you have said that you read a lot. Maybe you could share what you have read each month to give us some inspiration for good reads. Just a thought?

    • But it has to have a happy ending. Watched Me Before You recently and the ending of that SUCKED.

  14. Yes to almost all the things on your list, although I am not a cat lover 😉 Trying to knock off the sugar in this household so chocolate is a rare treat but that just means better quality when we indulge in it. I would add dreaming about an overseas trip to my list. Thanks for sharing the happiness x

    • Ooo me too! In fact lots of overseas trips … I have the travel bug. If only it would bite the hubster too!

    • We are so lucky to live in a country where we can hang our washing outside 🙂

  16. I love this list and many of the things are things I would do. I would love to get lost in a good book. But I find it hard to read these days. Never enough child free time. But one day I will get back to reading more.