Priceless Stuff I Love: 2015 Edition

Every now and then I like to look back over blogs that I wrote a few years ago. In August of 2013, I wrote a blog entry called “Cheap Stuff That I Love” about inexpensive things that make me happy (like iced coffee from Dunk’s, and non-stick foil, and bubble wrap), and I followed it up a few weeks later with an entry called “Priceless Stuff I Love” about things that you can’t buy that make me happy. And even though all of those wonderful things (fuzzy baby heads, jeans that fit, sing-along songs, etc.) still make me happy, here are a few more to add to the list of free wonderfulness in the world.

A Child’s Story

My kids are both talkers, and they love telling stories. Sometimes they’re retelling stories that they know and love, and sometimes they’re making up completely new stories. But either way, I love it when I can get them to tell me one of their stories. I love it even more when I manage to catch them telling stories to their stuffed animals and their dolls.

A Morning Walk

I’m not typically a morning person, nor am I a “get out there and walk” person. But every now and then I manage to get myself up and going early enough to catch a stroll around the neighborhood before the day begins in earnest. I love the familiarity, the quietness, and the chance to center my thoughts.

Homemade Cookies

When I was growing up, there was always – and I do mean ALWAYS – a Tupperware or two full of homemade cookies in my house. Chocolate chip, snickerdoodles, no-bakes, peanut butter, thumbprints, molasses…you name it, my mom made it. My dad’s, my sister’s, and my lunches always included two cookies, carefully wrapped in waxed paper sealed with a drugstore fold. Nowadays, fewer families have time to bake cookies, so even if there are cookies on hand, they’re more likely to be Oreos or Chips Ahoy or Pepperidge Farm – not that there’s anything wrong with that; I’m a big fan of a couple of Oreos and a glass of milk. But there’s something special about a homemade cookie, especially one made by your mom, with love.

A Scent from the Past

They say that scents often bring back the strongest memories. Have you ever gotten a whiff of your grandma’s perfume and been drawn right back to her house when you were five years old? Or perhaps it was the smell of your first boyfriend’s aftershave or your first girlfriend’s shampoo that made your heart skip a beat. It might be the smell of your mom’s lasagna baking or the same brand of baby powder you put on your baby or even the same scent of car deodorizer you had in your very first car that sends you back into the past for a split-second. But there’s nothing quite as wonderful as catching that passing whiff of something that brings back a happy memory.

A Project Going Right

I love doing projects – home improvement projects, art projects, sewing projects – even when I’m not particularly good at them. I’ve had a few impressive crash-and-burns (I tried the infamous “melted crayon art” from Pinterest once; the results did NOT look like they did on Pinterest), and a few moderate successes, but every now and then a project comes out just as – or even more – spectacular that anticipated. And there’s no more wonderful feeling of triumph than that.

What other little experiences in life make you happy?