practice 'Happiness Manifesto' periodically

1) A new song that resonates. Inspiration that bursts through the drab and stale.

“Clouds” by The Long Winters

The ground is so proud just to hold us up
We’re a kiss away from being dangerous
Kiss me and show me that it’s true
You’re depressed about the thing you don’t really want to do.

Don’t try to write your name in the clouds from the ground.

2) Incidental conversation and its surprises.

3) Secondary gains.

“There is always the miracle of the by-products” E.B. White

4) Field-independence. Jaunty willingness to be oneself at the expense of being perceived as a total asshole.

5) Returning from hiatus.

1) Being energized by interaction with others.
2) Contrarian thinking.
3) Inspiration from audacious and/or unconventional people.
4) Wrenches thrown into the works.
5) Comfort food that doesn’t cost a dollar per bite.

1) I am content putting off the wants when the needs are met. Head above is a good place to be.
2) The far-flung French and Vietnamese baguette place I like opened up a location closer to me.
3) Fun TV shows on DVD after a spate of the edifying stuff on my DVD watch list.
4) I think a reading jag is underway without me forcing it.
5) My first wheelie in 20 years.

1) the meal after you’ve forgotten to eat
2) corner pieces of lasagna
3) not ruminating and regretting and re-imagining different scenarios
4) knowing you can have comfort and enjoyment and adequate fulfillment without setting the world on fire or being perfect
5) crazy stunts and pranks on YouTube (extra points for sophomoric humor)

1) Being able to go deep into the count without panicking.
2) Supremely confident toddlers who have the run of the street or neighborhood and are on a first name basis with all the adults. I wish I had poise like that.
3) Discussions about reality TV shows. Nice catalyst for conversations that end up more interesting than the shows.
4) Normal sleep once again.
5) No current hassles with people.

1) Lowering my guard selectively. Dismantling facade, schtick, and persona.
2) Hot dogs and baked beans.
3) My beat-up car passed the emissions test for yet another two years! This is why I love Japan.
4) I think I waste a horrendous amount of time on line, but there are benefits. I’ve been exposed to simpatico people I would not easily encounter. Blogs have given me an insider’s perspective that I would not be privy to. My 4000+ links on del.icio.us are the breadcrumb trail of my curiosity and anxieties.
5) Patronizing smaller businesses instead of corporate sprawl.

1) Take-out food that is still piping hot when you get home.
2) The sheer ludicrousness of my on-line distractions. Why do I, in middle age, peruse things like lists of Boy Scout merit badge requirements?
3) Less people on the road because of high gas prices makes the neighborhood feel like it did ten years ago.
4) Thinking of that Dennis Hopper scene in Blue Velvet whenever I drink Pabst Blue Ribbon.
5) This anecdote about Willie Nelson from an conference on the WELL with his biographer, Joe Nick Patoski:

Willie was being interviewed by a journalist who asked (and I’m paraphrasing), “Are you the leader of the Outlaw Country movement?”, and he replied, “I don’t know if I’m the leader; I just saw a bunch of folks going in one direction so I jumped in front of ‘em.”

1) Ran into someone I haven’t seen awhile who was glad to see me. We had a few laughs.
2) No brooding or mental static.
3) Got my REM sleep back. Without it, two days in a row is a double shift.
4) Conversational shorthand and in-jokes.
5) Nice weather. A day like this erases the slate.

1) Constraints, deadlines, structure, security, habit, routine, and predictability-to at least some degree. This is the first and only time I will admit this.
2) Real momentum, as opposed to the jangly “too much coffee” feeling.
3) Getting sucked into reading online commentary. There were 40+ pages on an episode of House at televisonwithoutpity.com .
4) One upside of the downturn in the economy is that the status symbols of assholes now draw more contempt than envy.
5) Leaving the dirty dishes for tomorrow.

1) Got a phone call from a female friend who obviously rang me while she was on the toilet. The phrase “dumping and dialing” came to mind. I went to Google and found only two entries using that phrase. Damn, so close.

2) Boorishly wolfing down a ton of food at Taco Bell after consuming nothing but black coffee all day.

3) Larry the Cable Guy.

4) Eyelids turned inside out, ear-wiggling, weird demonstrations of double-jointedness, alternating tit flexes, and other stupid body tricks.

5) Multi-level marketing brochures left in toilet stalls. Thought getting in on the ground floor was bad enough.