What are 5 everyday things that bring you happiness?

This is an excellent question and it brings about some philosophical questions as well.

For a large part of my life, I believed that happiness was a place to get to or something dependent on someone else. I’ve learned that I was wrong, happiness is a choice and that love is a destination of mutual respect and admiration. Separating my happiness from a dependency on love or being loved is one of the most crucial masteries my life. Now the philosophy lesson aside, let’s get into the meat and potatoes of the question for today.

I will rework my answer to the question, Five everyday items that contribute to the wellbeing of my happiness, are:

1) Music

It is playing pretty much all day as I do my work, walking, driving, bathing, sunning myself, working out , or even in my head when nothing is playing out loud. I have very good tastes crossing a variety of genres. I often dream in it and adore it. Headphones, Bluetooth Speakers etc, my music is always playing. 🎵 🎼 🎶

2) Playing on My Piano/ Arranging Music

Since a young age I’ve had the ability to play piano by ear. I can also imitate what I see and hear and do my own takes on music. Some songs come along easy in an instant while others have taken me years to figure out. I first realized I had this gift at age 8 when I played Mary Had a Little Lamb in every possible key and octave across the piano. My repertoire has grown since then to more significant songs like Imagine by John Lennon and Colour My World by Chicago and some Beatle songs like Hey Jude and Because. These activities really utilize my creativity, and as a result, alleviate a lot of my stress, anxiety or even anger. 🎹🎹

3) The Smell of Rain (petrichor)

That intoxicating scent when rain first starts to fall and things just start to get wet is unbelievable. And it’s a little different everywhere but it’s also the same in the mountains, in the desert, and by the sea. it just does something to me close my eyes and it just is so refreshing. It’s almost like it clarifies me inside I I feel very grounded in the presence of water and rain is no exception. ☔️ 🌧️

4) Writing of all Kinds

Aside from music my other great passion in life has always been writing a pretty young age, I want say maybe six or seven I’ve been writing in one way or another. Areas of writing that I love to do include: poetry (which includes: free verse, various rhyming iambic pentameters, haiku, Raiku, limerick, and sonnet), short stories, literary analysis, music analysis, essays/term papers, and technical writing, (which includes: user guides, operations manuals, business continuity plans, lesson plans, training guides, best practices, system requirements, and many others). It’s very strange when I write it’s sort of stream of consciousness. I almost go into a trance and then when I come out of it, everything‘s down on paper or computer or phone or laptop.

5) My Apartment

No, I’m not a materialist by any means, but I just love my apartment. I love its decor, furniture, furnishings and amenities, and everything on the walls. I basically designed the whole decor of my place and it’s really a reflection of me and my taste and what I love. Ergo, my apartment is my sanctuary and is basically just a very large extension of me. Also, this is the first place of mine that I’ve lived in that has all of my choice, decor and things in it so truly is my place. 🏠🏠🏠

A lot of the items listed above work in concert with one another. As a result, everything is sort of tied together on my list, except for the rain of course that can happen anywhere.

-aaa