Happiness

I felt sorry for those who wrote that they couldn’t think of very many things that made them happy. So, I sat down and started to make a list.

Afterwards, I realized that most of them were experiences rather than things. That is consistent with research that shows that relationships, experiences (vs things), and “buying time” are the ways money can enhance happiness.

Buying time means paying someone else to do things that need to be done, but you don’t like to do them, e.g., paying to have your lawn mowed or your driveway shoveled after it snows.

Here is my list in no particular order:

1. Spending time with my wife. 2. Eating a tasty and nutritious meal. 3. Drinking cold water when the weather is very hot. 4. Laying on an inflatable floater in a swimming pool. 5. Travel to an interesting place. 6. Time with close family and friends. 7. Learning something new. 8. Having a great workout at the gym (when it’s over ). 9. Helping a homeless person at my church. 10. Getting sound, restful sleep at night for at least 7 hours. 11. Watching a sunset over the Gulf of Mexico. 12. Going on a cruise to somewhere new. 13. Eating ice cream or frozen yogurt. 14. Trying a new restaurant with really good food. 15. Having a therapeutic massage. 16. Hugging my grandchildren. 17. Feeling healthy. 18. Getting a heartfelt compliment. 19. Buying a fun, new car. 20. Giving a lecture appreciated by attendees. 21. Watching a patient recover from an illness. 22. Writing a blog. 23. Being able to pay my bills. 24. Watching a good movie (especially with popcorn to eat). 25. Coming home after being away for awhile. 26. Recalling good memories, e.g., getting my sport pilot license. 27. Having my checkbook balance. 28. Having an article or book I wrote get published. 29. Realizing most of my problems are first world problems. 30. Being able to quickly come up with these 30 items!