Little Things

Tonight I spent about half an hour talking with my friend Katrina on the phone.  I haven't talked to her on the phone, or even seen her in person, for about a year now, and the last time I attempted to be any kind of decent friend was back in March when I sent her a letter.  After a half hour of laughing and yelling at each other (because after a year of silence you don't just talk, your excitement raises your voice several decimals.)

So I got to thinking about the little things that make me happy.  School, despite being only in its third week, is intense and I can feel the stress slowly building a home between my shoulders.  Tonight was a nice little refresher and I wanted to list a few things that make me happy.  Easy things.  Little things.

Phone calls.  Today it was Katrina, yesterday is was Sara, the day before that I think I tricked Mike into a phone call.  There's something about hearing the voice of people you love but don't see nearly enough that can brighten even the darkest mood.  It's because of that easy path to happiness that Sara and I decided to try to have weekly phone convos because sometimes a girl just needs one of her besties to listen to you say that "nothing is new" on a weekly basis.

The moon is a pretty big source of happiness for me.  Whenever I leave work and see it shining bright, or not so bright, it always gives me pause.  Seeing the moon makes me feel not so alone and because of what it signifies to me, it always makes me reflect and remember that life is short and to keep on, keeping on.

Hot coffee.  Cold coffee.  Coffee coffee.  Man, that last sentence has me really craving some right now.  There's nothing like curling up with a good book and a steamy cup o' joe that just sets things right.  Can I just roll reading a good book into this "little thing?"

Naps!  I am the queen of napping.  Sure, I wake up feeling half-dead and my pillow is usually covered in drool, but an hour to two after getting out of my cocoon, I'm ready to get out and conquer the world!

Dogs.  Puppies.  Playing with them.  Watching videos of God's greatest creature on YouTube...or just watching the clips my mom puts on my Facebook wall.  Luckily, I live with the best dog in the entire world who is anything but stingy when it comes to giving kisses.

Family.  I have an amazing sister who's responsible for the second half of these photos.  A brother who would drop everything to come and help me out.  A dad who creates spray-painting stations and gives unwanted (but usually needed) advice.  A mom who posts dog videos on my Facebook wall, but also videos and news articles about texting and driving because she cares a lot about me.  My family is the single biggest "little thing" that gets me through times of stress.