identify 100 things that make me happy.

91. Coming home to an empty flat (when I’d rather be alone).

92. The short-lived satisfaction of having a tidy room.

93. Firm handshakes and bone-crushing bear hugs.

94. Foggy mornings.

95. Painting on canvas.

96. The tranquilizing effect of cicadas buzzing in the daytime and crickets chirping at night.

97. Watching friends play musical instruments (or listening while they play in the dark).

98. Feeling and being productive.

99. A quiet, intimate social setting (as opposed to an overcrowded party with loud music).

100. A bottle of dark beer or stout to accompany dinner.

And I can’t believe it took me so long to complete this goal. I’m certain that if I’d had to identify one hundred things that annoy me, I could have probably compiled a list five times as long in a day. Nevertheless, this helped me be somewhat more mindful of the little things that actually make me enjoy my life.

81. Watching people squabble over the remainder of my contributing dish at a potluck.

82. A nectarine so juicy that it must be eaten over the kitchen sink.

83. Receiving postcards.

84. Downhill skiing.

85. Enjoying a comfortable silence with someone else.

86. Sincere hospitality.

87. Drinking in the atmosphere of an unfamiliar place.

88. The orange glow of street lamps casting light on wet cobblestones.

89. Being cradled to sleep by the sound of the rain.

90. A sudden (favourable) change in plans.

71. A deep stretch.

72. Looking up at the night sky and feeling infinitely small.

73. Returning home after a long day and switching into more comfortable clothes.

74. Watching the glow of embers in a dying fire.

75. Getting the perfect meat-vegetable ratio on my fork.

76. Striking matches and lighting candles during a blackout.

77. Stopping to watch a street performance on my way somewhere.

78. Eating with my hands.

79. The nostalgic longing for a distant place or bygone age I was never a part of.

80. Driving through a series of traffic lights before they turn red.

61. The Bohemian Rhapsody climax of a drunken evening spent in good company.

62. A massive cone of authentic Italian ice cream – especially blue cheese and pistachio-flavoured.

63. Direct eye contact.

64. Dreams involving secret passageways and hidden doors or rooms.

65. Singing and playing guitar around a bonfire with friends (and not giving a chainsaw about how ridiculous we sound).

66. Listening to CBC Radio’s podcasts (Quirks & Quarks, The Signal) in the shower or while driving.

67. When leftovers taste even better the next day.

68. Day trips.

69. When going home is something to look forward to.

70. Just being in Wrocław, any time, for any reason.

51. Striding down a long line of moving walkways at the airport.

52. When a total stranger makes a funny remark or strikes up a chat as though merely resuming it.

53. The warm snug comfort of being in bed on a stormy evening.

54. When someone says “hello” in the elevator.

55. Helping foxes, hedgehogs, and other small animals cross a busy street.

56. Getting high and spending the rest of the day at an art gallery or music venue.

57. Playing a game or group sport that everybody in the group sucks equally at.

58. Collaborative Minecraft projects.

59. Watching people react to unusual questions or compliments.

60. When one of my vegetarian/picky-eater friends offers me something from their plate.

41. Gentle-natured, socially awkward people.

42. Finally having a group of like-minded friends.

43. When frugality pays off.

44. Exploring abandoned buildings, climbing rocks and boulders, playing like a child.

45. Recreational biking.

46. Mushroom hunting.

47. Hikes and long, dizzying walks through the forest.

48. Clever little tools and gadgets that make certain tasks quicker and easier to perform (ex. shoehorn, salad spinner).

49. Sushi dinners.

50. Watching the sunset.

31. Indian summers.

32. Healthy escapism.

33. People-watching at the airport.

34. Renovation projects.

35. The crackling sound of a gramophone or a needle landing on a vinyl record.

36. Giving and receiving back rubs.

37. Mastering recipes.

38. Magic mushroom adventures/psilocybin-induced euphoria.

39. Nervio.

40. The timelessness of black and white film-based photography.

21. Art (and being surrounded by it).

22. Looking through people’s old family albums with them.

23. The smell of bonfires, lily of the valley, summer rain, evergreens, books, coated magazine paper, boiling milk, old houses, and fresh autumn air.

24. Wandering through the streets of some foreign city and suddenly overhearing a conversation in Polish, or noticing a Polish flag stitched onto someone’s backpack or jacket.

25. Compliments for a well-cooked meal.

26. Loving a song upon first listen.

27. Reading, eating, sleeping outdoors.

28. Walking out of the house without a jacket for the first time after a long, miserable winter.

29. Finally being old enough to harp on the “when I was your age” cliché.

30. Friendly rivalries.

11. Picking out and eating those half-open kernels at the bottom of a bowl of popcorn.

12. Learning something new and getting it right the first or second time around.

13. Travel.

14. Realizing that my bad first impression of someone was completely wrong.

15. Throwing myself into unpredictable situations.

16. Wading through open water.

17. Driving with the windows down in the summertime.

18. Extended deadlines.

19. Catching people off guard.

20. A sudden rush of inspiration.

1. Spending time with my mother.

2. Crossing off a destination from my travel wish-list.

3. Cats. Especially mine.

4. Becoming so completely engrossed in a book that I almost lose sense of reality.

5. Receiving an unexpected e-mail from someone.

6. Giving someone a gift and later finding that they’ve put it to good use.

7. Waking up in the middle of the night and realizing I still have a few more hours of sleep left.

8. Dancing salsa with someone who knows how.

9. Freeloading at weddings.

10. Finding bird nests in funny places.