Little Pockets of Happiness

What is happiness for you? Does it give you that warm and fuzzy feeling inside? Or is it having that joie de vivre that makes you think "I feel so blessed and thankful and I can take on anything and know that everything will turn out fine!"?

It's a little bit of both for me, and these are some of the things that give me little pockets of happiness in everyday life:

• Waking up to bright yellow sunshine streaming through the curtained windows, at peace in the fact that my husband and 2 daughters are safe and sound.


• Being given a dimpled smile and silent laugh by my 2 month-old when I gaze at her in the morning. She recognizes me now! That's such a heartwarming feeling.


• My 5 year-old handing me a bunch of flowers she painstakingly chose and picked in the yard. Doesn't matter if they're calachuchi, santan, yellow bell or sampaguita -- it's how she put so much thought into selecting what she thought were the best ones, and giving them to me.


• The crisp smell and feel of a new book, esp. one that I've been waiting for months to appear on the shelves.


• A piping-hot slice of pizza, with lots of melted cheese running down the sides, and I have to catch it with my fingers or else it will drip on the plate and I have to scrape it from there. Never mind the mess, it's just so yummy to lick your fingers!


• Crisp sheets and pillowcases, fresh from the laundry and smelling cleanly of soap. Makes me want to curl up and doze off.


• The smell of wet earth, when it has rained after a long spell of hot, dry weather. Yes, yung amoy alimuom! It makes me feel as is the world is reborn, and that new things are possible once more.


• Going on a drive, with no specific destination in mind, just enjoying the sights, and finding beauty in unexpected places.


• No long queues at the grocery checkout counters. Who wouldn't be happy with this?


• Gaily wrapped presents tied with shiny ribbons. The child in me still enjoys unwrapping these gifts. Of course I now pass on the ribbons to my older daughter.


• A cold refreshing beverage on a sweltering day, one that is served in a tall glass, beaded with droplets of water.


• Watching my favorite series (House, CSI, Numbers, NCIS,Bones) in a marathon DVD-and-chips session.


• Book sales! 'Nuff said.