Little Bits of Happiness

A close friend of mine started posting on his band’s Facebook page “100 Days of Happiness” in which he posts a picture of something that makes him happy.  So far posts have included a picture of himself with his band when he was 15 years old, a stuffed animal, the names of his alarms on his phone, and a pair of headphones.  I wouldn’t list 100 things that make me happy in one blog post because that’d be a lot to read.  But, I’ve got a nice even list of ten because my Spring Break will be here in one week, and I’m excited, and sometimes you just need a reminder of the little things in life that make it great.

1.  Breakfast.  I look forward to this meal every morning: bacon, eggs, hash browns, waffles, fruit, muffins, oh my.

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2.  A blank page.  There’s nothing like turning a page in your notebook and starting fresh.  The pristine white is inviting and writing is how I express myself, so how could I not enjoy a notebook?

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3.  Flip flops.  When it’s sunny and I can finally pair a cute outfit with flip flops, it means summer is in the air, and I can’t get enough of summer.  Plus, flip flops mean I can paint my toe nails, layer anklets upon anklets and throw on my toe rings.

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4.  A jog.  On a nice day, when I don’t have too much to do, a jog is so refreshing and helps me destress and I feel invincible.

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5.  On a whim movie moments (or at least they feel like movie moments to me).  When I’m in the car with a friend and we decide to just drive around and talk and blare our favorite songs.  When it’s almost midnight and me and a friend decide that we need to go grab a burger.  And those quiet instances when you sneak a kiss despite the chaos that is happening around you.  Moments like those when it’s almost too surreal to be real.

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6.  Listening to my iPod.  Sometimes life gets so hectic and the simple act of putting on my headphones and zoning out or getting in the zone with the help of music makes all the difference.  I wish my life had a soundtrack, and this is the closest I can get.

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7.  Buying groceries.  Food shopping is a liberating experience of free will.  I get to decide how many cartons of strawberries I buy, whether I really need that organic chocolate, and which jar of syrup I should get.  I just love making those little decisions.

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8.  Hugs.  They LITERALLY make my day.  A hug from a friend makes me so happy, and I try to hug all my friends upon seeing them and when we part ways.  I can’t get enough hugs.

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9.  Strawberries.  My favorite fruit.  I can eat pounds of these in one sitting.  And when I have them in my fridge, I cannot wait to eat them.  And when the dining hall serves them, I guarantee, I eat them all.

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10.  The posters plastered to the wall of my dorm.  I’ve made my space my own despite that my residence here is temporary, but because of the decorations I feel at home.  Bring Me the Horizon sits above my desk, Pierce the Veil above my bed and a slew of other screamo bands cover the walls from floor to ceiling, making me like walking into my dorm.  

I Believe…

I believe music saves lives.

I believe in true love.

I believe money cannot buy happiness.

I believe a good cry can cleanse the body of sadness and thoughts weighing someone down.

I believe in marriage equality.

I believe art is an indispensable staple of society.

I believe in wishing upon eyelashes and dandelions and shooting stars and 11:11 and candies with double wrappers.

I believe karma is a bitch.

I believe hell is Earth.

I believe hate is a strong word.

I believe holding a grudge is not worth your time.

I believe everything happens for a reason.

I believe if it’s meant to be it will happen.

I believe if you’re out of sight you are out of mind, but also

I believe absence makes the heart grow fonder.

I believe nothing is as bad as it seems.

I believe there is beauty in pain.

I believe we are all a little crazy.

I believe laughter is the best medicine.

I believe in Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster and other creatures.

I believe aliens exist.

I believe Courtney Love had something to do with Kurt Cobain’s death.

I believe rain is romantic.

I believe the worst feeling in the world is finding out someone you trusted is actually dishonest.

I believe I can express myself better through writing.

I believe I determine my own destiny, my fate is not predetermined.

I believe in hugs.

I believe everything in moderation.

I believe I am ever changing; I am not the same person I was when I woke up this morning.

I believe exercising is therapeutic.

I believe no one is simply pretty.

I believe you should treat people the way you want to be treated.

I believe our dreams try to tell us something.

I believe silence is too loud.

I believe Pluto is actually a planet.

I believe humans are complicated creatures: we’re chaotic, we’re gorgeous, we’re fairytales, we’re tragedies, we’re flaws, we’re good, we’re bad, we’re unique.

 

My Dad and the Cat

I always felt like when there was a death in the family, the house became a little more quiet, every item had an air of sadness about it, and somehow life just seems to pause to allow us to mourn.  My mom had just come into my bedroom to say goodbye to me before she and my dad and my brother left for a soccer tournament.  Then, almost instantly, I heard my mom cry out my cat’s name, and I knew something was wrong.  I raced from my bedroom to my parent’s room, and I saw my mom was crying, along with my brother, and my dad picked up the cat’s limp body and took her downstairs.  We all grieved in our own way: my mom crying out, my brother hiding his tears by placing his hand over his face, my dad closing his eyes, and I sniffling and crying and trying to make sense of everything.  I was in disbelief, asking my dad, “Is that you’re chest going up and down?” because it looked like Princess, our cat, was still breathing.

 

I am going to severely miss Princess.  I miss the way her ears would twitch when you touched them.  I miss the sound of her purring.  I miss the way her tail would sway back and forth when she was happy.  I miss the way she’d lick you, a sandpaper kiss, repeatedly.  I miss the way she’d crawl into bed with us just to be with us.  I miss the way she’d pounce up onto the chair or couch.  I miss how wild eyed she would get when you played with her by dangling string in front of her.  I miss how possessed she became when you’d feed her cat treats; following you and constantly trying to beg for more.  I miss the way you could hear her racing down the stairs.  I miss the way she sucked on my finger when she was only a kitten.  I miss petting her, scratching her chin, and holding her tiny paws in my hand.  I miss her presence, sometimes I’d just sit next to her just to be near her, and sometimes I talked to her just because she was there.  I miss her.

 

My dad is the rock of the family.  While the rest of us we’re in tears, he was keeping calm, calling vets and crematoriums, explaining to me how she was found, and getting the necessary items so we could transport her.  My dad is also very caring, offering to go retrieve breakfast, on Father’s Day, and insisting he’d go to the store to pick up some needed items.  My dad is able to keep his wits about him and stay logical in situations, which is a tremendous trait to have.  My dad is also a huge support, in more ways than one.  Hugging us when we need to be held, listening when we need to talk, congratulating us when we do well, telling us to keep our heads up when we don’t do so well, and he’s simply always there when we need him to be.  So, this post may have taken an odd turn, from our deceased cat to my wonderful father, but I wanted to tie the two together to honor both.

So, may Princess rest in peace, she will be missed by many.  And happy Father’s Day to the greatest dad ever, I love you.