Natural Highs
I found something recently while digging through a box of memorabilia that made me very happy.
Back in my college days (gee, was that really ten years ago? Oof.) an email circulated that called itself "natural highs" - a list of fifty some-odd things/experiences/feelings that you personalized by adding your own favorites. I liked it so much that I began making my own in an old journal, to pull out and mull over when I was feeling blue. Over the years I added to it, and now I'm going to archive it so I can keep doing so, but I thought to share it here. Because happiness should be spread around. And I encourage my friends to write their own. You can't imagine how uplifting it is.
So, in no particular order: Dawn's list of Natural Highs. To be added to whenever I feel like it.
1. "Scrunching" through fallen dry autumn leaves.
2. Aspen trees, shimmering in the wind
3. Red crushed velvet
4. Rayon
5. Lace-up sandals
6. Leather boots
7. The sun on your back on a cold day.
8. The first warm day after a long winter.
9. The smell of Autumn
10. In music: the moment when a melody splits into multi-part harmony
11. Cresendoes
12. Trumpet fanfares
13. The smell of my Gram's kitchen
14. Walking into a department store on a blazing summer day and being blasted in the face by the air conditioning
15. The smell after a rain
16. Thunderstorms at night
17. Rain on the roof
18. Brand new just-washed bedsheets
19. Getting into brand new just-washed bedsheets when you've just shaved your legs (ah, the things men miss out on!)
20. New sketchbooks
21. Capturing an expression in a drawing
22. Thundering surf
23. Sand that squeaks when you walk on it
24. A starry sky on a clear night in the mountains
25. Wind through the trees. Especially in the mountains
26. Crickets singing on a summer night down south
27. Hymns. Esp. "Holy, Holy, Holy"
28. Laughing with friends over practically nothing
29. Department store music
30. Sitting in a tree
31. Swan dives
32. Dancing
33. Nativity scenes
34. Christmas trees
35. Running through wide open spaces
36. Getting complimented
37. Acing a test
38. While writing: hitting on The Perfect Word
39. Great song lyrics
40. A single red rose
41. Vanilla perfume (or lotion, body wash, etc)
42. Blue sky
43. Azaleas
44. Crepe Myrtle trees
45. Moonlight
46. Silver
47. My Gram's rice'n'gravy
48. Getting a real, long, hand-written letter from an old friend
49. Snow cones
50. Fireplaces
51. Waking up from a good dream
52. Sleeping well
53. Stained-glass windows
54. Polite children
55. Running horses
56. Tabletop fountains
57. Dew on spiderwebs
58. Fresh cut grass
59. Going barefoot outside
60. Bathing by candlelight
61. Finding money you had forgotten you had hidden
62. Finishing a great book
63. Cream soda
64. In Marching Band: the Final Moment (my name for the moment of breathless silence between the dying echo of the last note and the audience's applause)
65. Watching your team win a football game
66. Rich Mullins and Michelle Tumes music
67. Frost on the window
68. Black light
69. First glimpse of the ocean when arriving at the beach
70. Laughing while lying on your stomach
71. Sea oats
72. Kids that can sing well.
73. Standing at the summit of an above-timberline mountain pass. Bonus points: at sunset
74. Watching the moon rise
75. Irish pennywhistles
76. Eulian pipes
77. Men in Kilts (addendum: as long as they have nice legs)
78. An old song that reminds you of childhood
79. Percussion lines
80. Turning on the radio just as your favorite song is starting
81. Irish accents
82. Having people smile back at you
83. Having your hard work noticed
84. Being inspired
85. Catching peope singing along to the radio in their cars
86. Being caught singing along to the radio in my car
87. Walking in the rain
88. Days off
89. Silk
90. Plaid flannel
91. Jeans that fit
92. My stuffed elephant
93. Glitter
94. Interesting people
95. Blue eyes
96. Long hair
97. Wet paint
98. New crayons
99. Chocolate
100. Big slobbery friendly dogs
101. Having someone else brush your hair
102. Singing loudly and off-key with friends
103. C.S. Lewis
104. The THX sound demo
105. Long dramatic swirly cloaks
106. Good movie trailers
107. New CD's
108. Going to the theater (not cinema)
109. Falling water
110. Rainbows
111. Fourth of July fireworks displays
112. The national anthem. All four verses
113. Back rubs
114. Waking up early but not having to get up for hours
115. Feather pillows
116. Clay
117. New paintbrushes
118. Sequins
119. Butterflies
120. The smell of leather
121. Echoes
122. Honeysuckle
123. Fireflies
124. Purring cats
125. Holding a child's hand
126. Blowing bubbles
127. Polished rocks
128. Toasting marshmallows
129. Shooting stars
130. Raw cookie dough
131. Fresh-baked cookies
132. The heel of a loaf of homemade bread
133. Playing the piano
134. Watching figure skating
135. The smell of sunscreen
136. Snow sparkling in moonlight
137. "Fairy dust" - i.e. the glitter in the air the morning after a snowfall
138. Hugs
139. Foot massages
140. Toe rings
141. Anklets
142. Four-part harmony, a capella
143. Windchimes
144. Bonsai trees
143. Geodes