Shannon's Happy List

I am having a bit of a pity party this morning. I have been feeling a bit down the last few days and I really have no clue as to why. I don't know if it is my impending birthday...the big 3-8. It's not really a milestone birthday or anything, but it is proof positive that I have not escaped the aging process. Or maybe it has to do with the lack of good, sound sleep I have been experiencing lately. Sophie and Nicholas have been coming to my bed in the middle of the night practically every night now for a couple of weeks. I know that it's just a phase, but it is a particularly llllooooonnnnggg phase that I could certainly do without. Or maybe it is the thousands of dollars we have shelled out in the last couple of months for home repairs and car repairs and new appliances, etc....etc...on and on. Or the fact that I've gained enough weight lately that I have a closet full of clothes that are a size too small for me. Or perhaps it is simply my monthly cycle being especially bothersome this month. I don't know. Regardless, I have been feeling down and a bit melancholy the last couple of days. I am tired of feeling this way. I don't like being all somber and sullen. I thought today I would make a little list of the things that make me happy in an attempt to pull myself out of this funk. It's time to shut down the pity party, stop focusing on the negative, and begin enjoying all of the things I love again. Don't be too alarmed....I am sure I will back to my usual snarky self tomorrow. However, for today, I need to focus on the things that bring me limitless joy. So here it is...Shannon's Happy List.

1. Playing Mario Kart with Lucas and Nicholas
2. The sight of brightly colored leaves twirling to the ground
3. Country music (yea...that's right...country music)
4. Braiding Sophie's hair (now that she will finally let me touch her hair)
5. Caribou Coffee
6. A good pen with the right shape and heft
7. Playing Scrabble with my mom
8. The site of Ruanita in her reading glasses and pajamas perusing the Sunday paper
9. Baking cakes with my daughter's "help"
10. Homemade potato soup on a chilly autumn day
11. The sight of Sophie running with complete abandon
12. Nicholas' belly laugh
13. Lucas' crystal-blue eyes
14. Firepits
15. Sitting at my kitchen table with my mom and my sisters, chatting about everything and nothing.
16. Open windows and cool breezes
17. Strolling through Target
18. Buying dresses for Sophie
19. Modern Family
20. Christmas carols (a little early, I know...but they make me happy)
21. Etsy.com
22. The distinct sound of crunching leaves underfoot
23. Raincoats
24. Righteous indignation
25. My shiny red laptop
26. Warm-from-the-oven oatmeal cookies
27. Apple orchards
28. Sophie singing along to the radio when she thinks no one is listening
29. Sudoku puzzles
30. Chinese take-out
31. Warm, oversized sweatshirts
32. The knowledge that my kids are growing up surrounded by family
33. Pumpkins
34. Watching Nicholas running...his cute little awkward, utterly UN-athletic gait always makes me smile
35. Minnesota Public Radio
36. Lucas' love of science and nature documentaries (the geek in me loves watching these with him)
37. Sophie combing my hair
38. The rich fall hues of the mums blooming in my yard

Ok...I decided to stop at number 38 in honor of my 38th birthday. This list was fairly easy to compile and I probably could have gone on and on for quite a while. I suppose with so many things to be happy about, I should stop being such a Gloomy Gus and enjoy the world around me. There are so many things to revel in. I am lucky enough to live in a place and a time where these delights are readily available. They are mine for the enjoying. I need to remind myself of this fact more often.