identify 100 things that make me happy.

Entry #6 was about spending time with people we know. Here’s about people we’d like to know better.

My wife and I had a very lively dinner with another couple. It took us more than 6 weeks to do it—kids, holidays, job commitments, and an occasional cold prevented us from doing it earlier.

We all had a great time and hope to see each other more often.

—I read my entries, and a reminder of things that make me happy improved my mood (which was good to begin with).

I’ll try to add new things from time to time in 2012.
Happy New Year to Everyone!

I spent early October traveling. Saw friends I havent’ seen in 10-15 years. What made me very happy was pronouncement by one of them that it feels like we haven’t changed, and time haven’t passed and we are as happy together as 15 or 20 years ago. Saw then another friend and had a great time. And then the family… distant family but felt I belonged there.

I felt it would be a good trip before leaving, but it turned out to be more. I learned that I need old friends, and they need me. (Also made some new friends too).

1. Putting my kids in bed. Two older ones have outgrown it, but the youngest still enjoys an evening talk and a hug.
2. Talking to my wife when we are both relaxed and in sync. This happens on a nice weekend days when the kids are occupied with their activities or we go/drive for a walk.
3. Physical non-competitive activities: walking, biking, hiking, yoga, ...
4. Reading: classics or popular science and math. I don’t do it often enough, though. Both kind of reading feels like a stretching exercise for my brain.
5. Reading blogs, a very broad set of topics, as long as a new fact or perspective can be discovered. I probably do too much of it.
6. Spending time with friends, one-on-one, or couple-with-couple, or a little party, or rarely a bigger party. The big parties take too much to organize. I wish I had more time for social life.
7. Music. Especially live music. Classic to modern. Less predictable and uncommon is better. Jazz of any kind (almost).
8. Gardens and gardening. Acquired taste for it my late adulthood.

More Physical…

1. Feeling my body is properly stretched after an evening yoga.
2. Morning walks or exercises.
3. The usual any man feels good about ;-)
4. Freshly prepared food.
5. Morning coffee at the seaside.
6. Sun in winter; cool breeze in summer.

I never thought about making a list. Not tonight though