Fifty smiley moments…delight without the cheese.

This is my TWENTIETH blog post. Yippee!

Ten blog posts ago, I decided that every tenth post will be a list post. I’m hoping this one will support one of my pet personal projects – soaking up the delightful moments that life provides. I’ve done a lot of soul-searching over the last year – ok, I’m obviously still doing it — and I discovered (or uncovered) a tendency to shy away from the richness of life, both the good and the bad, the easy and the difficult.  Like the strategy that children use when playing hide and seek – if I cover my eyes, then no one will find me, right? If I don’t engage with life, then life will not engage with me. But the joke’s on me there, because life keeps coming and rolling on, and by covering my eyes, the only person I hide from is myself. I miss everything in the process. So several months ago, I gave myself a firm shake and kick in the a$$, and started a blog. Voila, I’m engaging with life! (Ha, ha. Right. Anyway, I’m trying.)

Below you’ll see a list of moments that bring a smile to my face…hopefully without too much heaping on of cheesy-ewww-factor.. I brainstormed the first 50 random delightful-delicious-delovely moments that came to mind. What moments will you come up with in your brainstorm? Do any of the moments below resonate with you?

I’m finding that being present makes me much more likely to recognize a potentially delightful moment, and to re-frame something that would normally annoy me and re-interpret it as delightful.  Also, you know that saying, ‘To a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail’? Well, I find that the more I’m on alert for delightful moments, the more I see them. They are everywhere!

Wishing you something to delight in for every moment of your day….

Moments of delightful, delicious, de-lovely:

1. The first crunchy-chewing bite of fresh, hot, buttered bread. Oh, mercy!
2. Sliding my feet into my fuzzy slippers when my dogs are barking
3. Applying false eyelashes easily and quickly on the first try without getting eyelash glue in and on and all over my eyeball. (This is part of a costume, not my everyday routine.)
4. When it stops raining at just the right time.
5. The first sip of a soothing beverage – cool water when I’m hot and thirsty, hot tea when my throat is sore, chicken soup when I have a cold, a gin and tonic when I need a gin and tonic
6. Spontaneous genuine affection – a sudden, impulsive hug or hand on the shoulder or compliment or smile
7. Seeing a bluebird and feeling like that is a good sign
8. Hearing a child tell a made-up story about silly trolls
9. Locating and then using a coupon for something that I actually need
10. Every Paperhand Puppet Intervention show
11. Finding a lost item in under one minute
12. Watching a good friend receive good news — the beautiful look on his or her face!
13. Scalp massage (well, any massage)
14. Inserting the word “smurf” into a sentence
15. Making up a new word
16. The moment I realize that I’ve turned the corner on a cold
17. Entering BeautyWorld
18. Making a mental note to share a story, interesting tidbit or idea with a specific person
19. Three green lights in a row – or – a fabulous parking spot
20. Friendly, efficient customer service at Target
21. Witnessing success
22. Seeing a really great (perhaps slightly goofy) photo of someone I love
23. A shadow puppet that looks like a recognizable animal
24. Shared laughter born from friendship and joy (rather than cattiness or self-denigration)
25. Feeling myself get sucked into an engrossing story
26. Running all my errands, realizing I have EXTRA time, and choosing to read People Magazine
27. Ten minutes of calm and easy solitude
28. A well-timed breath mint
29. Realizing (in a good way) that “we are all in this together”! Hooray!
30. Seeing someone I love completely at ease and sighing with happiness
31. Finding a penny and making a wish
32. Watching my husband and child playing together in their own special way
33. The first salty smell of the ocean. The first whoosh of the waves. The first toe-touching of soft sand.
34. Sitting down to a tasty meal prepared and planned by someone else. With vegetables and dessert
35. Having so much fun, I lose track of time
36. Nap. Nap. Nap. Sometimes a nap with a cat if the cat doesn’t snore or hog the bed.
37. First, second, third and fourth scoop of an ice cream sundae. (After that, it’s just shoveling in a sugar haze.)
38. Pursuing curiosity
39. Noticing that the price of gas has gone down by four cents per gallon
40. Having all of the ingredients I need – already in the house!
41. Confirmation that “truth is stranger than fiction”
42. Swapping book recommendations.
43. Feeling something click into place
44. Slipping into clean sheets on a well-made bed
45. Singing Journey’s greatest hits with a group of friends
46. Giving and receiving a sincere compliment
47. Realizing that I have everything I need…for real
48. Making a goofy face that causes a baby to smile
49. Hearing a song on the radio that triggers a wonderful sense memory avalanche
50. Curtain call