100 Simple Beautiful Things That Make Me Happy
Written by Dan Goodwin
The older I become, the more I feel it’s important to enjoy the simple things in life, to experience each moment as fully as sensually as we can. So, I got to thinking about some of the things that bring a smile to my face and warm waves of gratitude inside.
Before I get too soppy, see how many you relate to. They’re in no particular order:
1. The feel of warm soapy water on my hands when washing dishes.
2. Writing haikus.
3. Scrunching through frosty grass early on winter mornings.
4. Baking chocolate brownies.
5. Eating freshly baked chocolate brownies.
6. The contrast of bright green leaves against a blue summer sky.
7. Making up new words.
8. Being so lost in a book when you stop reading you have no idea what day it is.
9. Make fresh pesto with a pestle and mortar.
10. Walking through warm grass barefoot.
image: 802
11. Waking up in the morning knowing there’s nowhere I have to be for hours.
12. English country gardens.
13. The scent and feel of the camomile moisturiser I use on my face after showering.
14. The Multi-Touch Trackpad on my MacBook Pro.
15. The utterly glorious noise of Red Sea by Asobi Seksu.
16. Vanilla scented candles.
17. Indiana Jones movies.
18. Seeing a whole class dancing a move you taught them from nothing.
19. Looking into someone’s eyes and feeling safe.
20. Hot toast and lashings of melting butter and honey.
21. The Odd Couple movie.
22. Jeans that just fit without needing a belt.
23. Celery dipped in salt.
24. A freshly cleaned bathroom.
25. Slopping around in joggers, a favourite old t-shirt and bare feet.
26. Female french accents.
27. Preparing and sharing delicious healthy meals.
28. Marilyn Monroe movies.
29. The scent of new books.
30. Taking photos of flowers that are the whole world in that moment of capture.
image: alemdag
31. The scent of freshly cut lemons.
32. Walking without destination, just for the love of walking.
33. Mulholland Drive. A creative masterpiece of film-making.
34. Being in a beautiful city like Paris where absolutely no-one knows you.
35. Not having any consumer debt to my name.
36. Kate Bush.
37. Wearing the t-shirt you lent to your partner to sleep in the night before.
38. The coconut scent of my hair moulding wax.
39. Not shaving for a few days.
40. Getting lost in the dance.
41. Having lots of plants in my home.
42. Being a part of a wonderful supportive creative community.
43. A long cold glass of water on a long hot afternoon.
44. Still laughing at the same old jokes that I laughed at when I was a child.
45. Greek Yogurt on fresh grapefruit. With honey.
46. Knowing everything is going to be ok.
47. Taking black and white portraits.
48. Dreaming wildly, especially about singing.
49. Getting great feedback and responses to articles I’ve written that’ve genuinely helped people.
50. The scent of fresh ginger.
image: kidmissile
51. New journals. Especially the way they smell.
52. Being so far in the forest you can’t hear or see any signs of civilization.
53. Being in full creative flow.
54. Having a home that’s just the right size for my needs.
55. Salsa dancing.
56. The scent of fresh rosemary.
57. The incredible connective potential of the internet.
58. The blissful sound of My Bloody Valentine.
59. Movies about dancing.
60. Long hot showers, and the thoughts and ideas that come from them.
61. Discovering new artists on Last.fm radio.
62. Opening a new book for the first time, and how it wants to close itself again to preserve its secrets.
63. The natural wake up call of birds in the morning.
64. Meeting amazing, inspiring, creative people online.
65. Hot chocolate with marshmallows, and chocolate digestive biscuits.
66. The power of self education - learning by reading.
67. The bold eccentricity of David Bowie.
68. Hips.
69. The sound and feel of writing with pencil and paper.
70. Getting absolutely drenched in the rain and not caring.
image: ashley rose
71. Late night sleepy conversation in the dark.
72. New potatoes roasted with sesame oil.
73. The wonderful warm sound of my Mission speakers.
74. Receiving emails that tell me I’ve had a positive impact on someone’s life.
75. Being able to look out my front window and see trees and grass.
76. Home made chocolate tiffin.
77. Sticky chocolate sauce. On pretty much anything.
78. Sunlight warming my bare feet.
79. The comfort of my Nike Airs that allows me to dance for hours on end.
80. Candles and the ambiance they create.
81. Silver birch tress hung heavy with snow.
82. Having a healthy body.
83. Singing.
84. Watering the plants in my home.
85. Stunning music that takes you to another place like Labradford.
86. Digging up potatoes.
87. Not watching TV or reading newspapers.
88. Making up silly accents and characters, and having someone laugh at them.
89. The colour green. Pretty much every variation.
90. Early morning mist on untouched fields.
image: ::d::
91. Laying in the grass and enjoying the natural symphony of insects and birds.
92. Seeing people’s confidence blossom, and their faces and bodies come alive when learning salsa.
93. Hot water with a slice of lemon, chopped fresh ginger and runny honey.
94. John Hughes films. Especially Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Planes, Trains and Automobiles and The Breakfast Club.
95. Playing with children and reviving the little kid in me.
96. Elizabeth Fraser’s voice.
97. Looking younger than my years. (A bit vain, I know…)
98. The endless inventiveness of director Michel Gondry.
99. Owning fewer clothes than I’ve owned in years.
100. Being alive, here, in this moment
The older I become, the more I feel it’s important to enjoy the simple things in life, to experience each moment as fully as sensually as we can. So, I got to thinking about some of the things that bring a smile to my face and warm waves of gratitude inside.
Before I get too soppy, see how many you relate to. They’re in no particular order:
1. The feel of warm soapy water on my hands when washing dishes.
2. Writing haikus.
3. Scrunching through frosty grass early on winter mornings.
4. Baking chocolate brownies.
5. Eating freshly baked chocolate brownies.
6. The contrast of bright green leaves against a blue summer sky.
7. Making up new words.
8. Being so lost in a book when you stop reading you have no idea what day it is.
9. Make fresh pesto with a pestle and mortar.
10. Walking through warm grass barefoot.
image: 802
11. Waking up in the morning knowing there’s nowhere I have to be for hours.
12. English country gardens.
13. The scent and feel of the camomile moisturiser I use on my face after showering.
14. The Multi-Touch Trackpad on my MacBook Pro.
15. The utterly glorious noise of Red Sea by Asobi Seksu.
16. Vanilla scented candles.
17. Indiana Jones movies.
18. Seeing a whole class dancing a move you taught them from nothing.
19. Looking into someone’s eyes and feeling safe.
20. Hot toast and lashings of melting butter and honey.
21. The Odd Couple movie.
22. Jeans that just fit without needing a belt.
23. Celery dipped in salt.
24. A freshly cleaned bathroom.
25. Slopping around in joggers, a favourite old t-shirt and bare feet.
26. Female french accents.
27. Preparing and sharing delicious healthy meals.
28. Marilyn Monroe movies.
29. The scent of new books.
30. Taking photos of flowers that are the whole world in that moment of capture.
image: alemdag
31. The scent of freshly cut lemons.
32. Walking without destination, just for the love of walking.
33. Mulholland Drive. A creative masterpiece of film-making.
34. Being in a beautiful city like Paris where absolutely no-one knows you.
35. Not having any consumer debt to my name.
36. Kate Bush.
37. Wearing the t-shirt you lent to your partner to sleep in the night before.
38. The coconut scent of my hair moulding wax.
39. Not shaving for a few days.
40. Getting lost in the dance.
41. Having lots of plants in my home.
42. Being a part of a wonderful supportive creative community.
43. A long cold glass of water on a long hot afternoon.
44. Still laughing at the same old jokes that I laughed at when I was a child.
45. Greek Yogurt on fresh grapefruit. With honey.
46. Knowing everything is going to be ok.
47. Taking black and white portraits.
48. Dreaming wildly, especially about singing.
49. Getting great feedback and responses to articles I’ve written that’ve genuinely helped people.
50. The scent of fresh ginger.
image: kidmissile
51. New journals. Especially the way they smell.
52. Being so far in the forest you can’t hear or see any signs of civilization.
53. Being in full creative flow.
54. Having a home that’s just the right size for my needs.
55. Salsa dancing.
56. The scent of fresh rosemary.
57. The incredible connective potential of the internet.
58. The blissful sound of My Bloody Valentine.
59. Movies about dancing.
60. Long hot showers, and the thoughts and ideas that come from them.
61. Discovering new artists on Last.fm radio.
62. Opening a new book for the first time, and how it wants to close itself again to preserve its secrets.
63. The natural wake up call of birds in the morning.
64. Meeting amazing, inspiring, creative people online.
65. Hot chocolate with marshmallows, and chocolate digestive biscuits.
66. The power of self education - learning by reading.
67. The bold eccentricity of David Bowie.
68. Hips.
69. The sound and feel of writing with pencil and paper.
70. Getting absolutely drenched in the rain and not caring.
image: ashley rose
71. Late night sleepy conversation in the dark.
72. New potatoes roasted with sesame oil.
73. The wonderful warm sound of my Mission speakers.
74. Receiving emails that tell me I’ve had a positive impact on someone’s life.
75. Being able to look out my front window and see trees and grass.
76. Home made chocolate tiffin.
77. Sticky chocolate sauce. On pretty much anything.
78. Sunlight warming my bare feet.
79. The comfort of my Nike Airs that allows me to dance for hours on end.
80. Candles and the ambiance they create.
81. Silver birch tress hung heavy with snow.
82. Having a healthy body.
83. Singing.
84. Watering the plants in my home.
85. Stunning music that takes you to another place like Labradford.
86. Digging up potatoes.
87. Not watching TV or reading newspapers.
88. Making up silly accents and characters, and having someone laugh at them.
89. The colour green. Pretty much every variation.
90. Early morning mist on untouched fields.
image: ::d::
91. Laying in the grass and enjoying the natural symphony of insects and birds.
92. Seeing people’s confidence blossom, and their faces and bodies come alive when learning salsa.
93. Hot water with a slice of lemon, chopped fresh ginger and runny honey.
94. John Hughes films. Especially Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Planes, Trains and Automobiles and The Breakfast Club.
95. Playing with children and reviving the little kid in me.
96. Elizabeth Fraser’s voice.
97. Looking younger than my years. (A bit vain, I know…)
98. The endless inventiveness of director Michel Gondry.
99. Owning fewer clothes than I’ve owned in years.
100. Being alive, here, in this moment