What makes you happy?

[Brandy]

That topic is being discussed on NPR right now.

OH yes, Happy Boxing Day.

My short list;

* Talking to my brothers.
* Having my brother actually return my message.
* Giving a new aquantince an ear and a shoulder, because I remember when I had neither.
* Getting an unexpected compliment from my boss during a review.
* A better understanding of what makes me grouchy.
* Getting complimentnts about being up-beat and sounding positive and happy. -- 'Cause "I" still remember the dark days.
* Wearing a UK Kilt and getting a compliment from a nice Lady
* Wearing a UK Kilt and getting a compliment from a Teenager!!!!!
* Getting dressed up in a nice long skirt and really enjoying a concert.

That's all I have for now. How about yours?

-- Brandy

[r1g0r]

a full head of hair
a comfortable skirt outfit
a fur-lined bathtub filled with krugerrands

[cessna152towser]

Wearing a Kilt and getting a compliment from a nice Lady
Wearing a Kilt and getting a compliment from a Teenager
Taking my wife out somewhere in the car and in her wheelchair
A kilted/skirted hike in the hills
Receiving an e-mail from my daughter
Receiving an e-mail from my half cousin in Canada
Flying an aeroplane or flying in an aeroplane
Scottish Country Dance class
Buying a new kilt or skirt
Being alive, healthy and still relatively young

[Skirt Chaser]

Seeing you posting here again, Brandy, makes me happy!

Quiet Mouse, who worked IMFF into a conversation at a flashlight meet and was oh so impressed you already knew of it

[crfriend]

Me?

* spending time with my wife
* snuggling with my wife
* a really elegant solution to a knotty technical problem
* getting a 40+ year old computer to boot and run on the first try. Or second.
* ditto a 30+ one
* spending time with old friends
* sharing a laugh with new friends
* a wonderful musical composition well performed
* ingenious practical jokes

... and, at times, managing to avoid getting entangled in twists in my own history. They may be instructive, inspirational even, but they're usually very painful.

[Brandy]

Skirt Chaser,
Thank you, it is nice to know that I was missed.

And thank you to everyone else who replied.

Interesting bicycle ride today. Several years ago one reason for going on bicycle rides was to work through all of the emotions that were boiled up since the previous ride. I notice from my bike log the last ride was on 11/29/08 just a month ago.

Today there were long periods of "blank" just watching the scenery go by. Back during "the dark days" a 2-3hour ride would be fully occupied with working through emotions. When I could not ride daily I would be in the gym or on a hike. Life is very different now and I'm much heavier.

Good news I'm much more at peace with myself and the world. Bad news I need more exercise and to lose some weight.

-- Brandy

[Sasquatch]

A partial list:

Getting deep under the blankets next to my wife on a cold night.
Seeing an old friend coming through the door.
The smell of a cornfield through an open car window on a summer night.
Drum, spot, and mullet running in the inlet.
Using the "Q" on a Triple Word Score.
When the Kawasaki dirt bike runs well.
The smell of hickory smoke from a chimney.
Watching my son get a hit in a little league baseball game on a summer evening.
The aroma of freshly plowed soil.
The smell of the first raindrops hitting the street in a spring thunderstorm.
Catching the perfect body-surfing wave.
Encountering wildlife with the opportunity to observe - wild turkeys, black bear, alligators, owls, ospreys, etc.
A well-made Old Fashioned with Maker's Mark.
The feel of my soft and warm ribbed tights on freshly shaved legs on a chilly morning.
The sound of an old two-cylinder John Deere.
Beef short ribs grilled over charcoal, medium rare, seasoned with salt.
Big juicy ripe strawberries fresh from the patch.
Hearing a nearly forgotten song on the radio that reminds me of high school girlfriends.

Sasq