Apologies for going off the picture book rails with this post. But living with a chronic disease like MS means I have to focus on the positive. And I strongly believe that being happy in life relies upon being happy in the present…and not hanging happiness on “if only.” Happiness is not a contingency plan. Happiness is right here, right now, in your everyday life. As mundane or stressful as some days can be, glimmers of giddiness can be discovered and celebrated. Don’t miss those moments, as fleeting as they may be.

So I have vowed to jot down one happy thing daily. What made me smile, what made me appreciate my life. Some will certainly be silly, and others may be cloyingly sentimental. Some will mean nothing to anyone but me. A LOT will have to do with FOOD. But for a full year, 366 days (2016 is a leap year), I will create a list of HAPPY.

I have already begun. So here’s my list of 10 happy things. I will add to this list throughout the year and I invite (no, encourage!) you to compile your own list of happiness.

  1. A morning cuppa Earl Grey tea
  2. Braiding my daughter’s hair
  3. Reading in the sun (without getting overheated, an MS issue)
  4. Finding fresh apricots at the store
  5. My daughter making breakfast all on her own (cheesy eggs)
  6. Delicious lunch with a good friend
  7. Getting into bed with freshly-washed sheets
  8. Receiving the first hard copy of my new book
  9. Baking peach-blueberry cobbler for dinner with friends
  10. The smell of water from the garden hose (reminds me of childhood summers)

Aha! So you stumbled upon the reason for this blog post title. Plus, to use a cliché faucet metaphor, little droplets of happiness can soon become a flood! (Oh boy, that was baaaaad. That’s not going on my happiness list.)

What made you happy today?