What makes you happy?

I am lucky in that I am basically happy and when 'bad' things happen I am not down for very long.

Yesterday I had an extra burst of happiness as DD3 invited me to DGS2's sports day - he is two and a half!

And,we have been visited on a regular basis by a bullfinch family. When we first moved here we had lots of bullfinches but they have been absent for a long time. I got ridiculously excited!

One of my favourite book titles is The God of Small Things (arundhati roy sorry about the spelling).

Life seems always to have something looming to scare or stress us, so I try and remain true to the family motto, and count my blessings, always look on the bright side. Pollyanna wasn't all wrong was she. I've felt a bit grumpy recently, due to health stuff that may suggest the disease modifiers are losing their umph. So, I do stuff I love, like walking the dogs, gardening, reading a book - and sure enough, find myself getting back in touch with that feeling of happiness

Me too its the small things that give me pleasure but what I most enjoy these days is time- I love a day with no appointments , where I don't have to go out and can just wander about through the house and garden pottering around with no set jobs to do except cooking a nice evening meal.

Yes suebailey that's what I love about retirement, just pootling

Happiness to me sometimes is rummaging about in the local charity shop and coming up with a bargain. My latest bargain is a battery powered machine which emits the sounds of a babbling brook/ seabirds/summer night/ wind chimes or waves crashing against the beach. It has a timer so you can use it to fall asleep to or just relax. So at the moment I sit in the sunshine in the conservatory pretending I am at the seaside. All for £2.50 have to say my family all think I am mad , however it gives me pleasure and I know that I will return it to the charity shop to be resold in a few weeks as I will have grown tired of the waves pounding

Eloethan, I have little flashes of happiness/contentment every so often - but it's sometimes an uphill struggle being on antidepressant and anti-anxiety medication which doesn't seem to help that much. I battled on without it for ages, feeling very low indeed, and it's not quite that bad now, but there ain't no happy pill. I'd love to regain some of the joy in life that I used to have. It's got markedly worse since the breakup of a long-term friendship 6 years ago, despite me trying hard to 'move on' and re-kindle my zest for life.
I'm trying Mindfulness and I do try to meditate most days, but as yet it's not having much noticeable effect. I won't give up though! We have a beautiful little granddaughter who always makes me smile and is a delight - she is the grandchild we didn't think we'd have (DD2 has a variant of Goltz syndrome so having a baby was always going to be a risk, but DGD is perfect and a very happy baby).
I like having my family round me, I like our garden, and the countryside, in late winter and early spring, woodsmoke, autumn and thunderstorms...and seeing the full moon rise over our garden trees. I guess you could call those flashes of appreciation.

Mostly serene contentment in my case. There's a sort of continuum from contentment through happiness to joy. Joy comes and goes in a flash, but you always remember when it happened. I know I felt it at the first moment of bonding with a new baby. Then again with each new GC. It's a very pure feeling.

I think you lose happiness once you stop to ask yourself if you are happy. I remember it happening to me when I was sixteen. Not for any particular reason, just a developing awareness of self. After that, it's just flashes. Which are, of course, lovely in themselves.

Gransnet and Gransnetters have made me happy this past week, you are all special, oooo and Richard Armitage!

Simple things can make me happy, holding my grand daughter, when my grand son visits, walking in the park just after the grass has been cut, watching comedy, really into Mrs Browns Boys at the minute, I know it is not liked by everyone but I love it. The colour purplr makes me happy, I f I could everything I had would be purple. Being able to go places in my car, I havent had a car for six months and have missed it like mad.

I think if you are not too materialistic it can be easier to ne happy.

I was once watching a programme about millionaire Richard Brahey showed his house on this beautiful Island and thought how lucky he was then I realised that the nicest part was the sea and sand and the island itself which was all freeee and not he decor of the house and it taught me a valuable lesson.

PS in his early years Richard Branson made his girlfriend have an abortion, just before he made it financially..thats what I read somewere.

Sorry Richard Branson I meant to type

My son has just got a cracking summer job!

I'm another that battles depression but even so, I also found that the older I got, I seemed to find pleasure in small things. Last night is a good example: it was about 8.30pmish and I was watching a Miss Marple (my favourite detective) starring Geraldine McKeowan - and thoroughly enjoying it, dogs cuddling up beside me. Then I noticed a commotion in the front garden (I have a large tree that I had a planter built around the base of it) and there, in the planter, are parent birds and about 4 or 5 of their tiny little offspring. The parents were rummaging around in the pinks and carnations and whatever it was they found, they'd hop over and feed it to their little ones. The little ones were rolling in dry top soil, playing and also the odd 'fight' broke out - I found myself watching this more than Miss Marple! And all with a - yes, it made me feel very happy.

Don't want to put a downer on a positive thread - but, here goes. If it's true that one of RB's former girl friends terminated a pregnancy, I don't understand how he 'made her' do this.

I'm just back from Yoga - it made me happy, because my neck was making me unhappy and yoga has started to free the stiffness up a bit. Yipppeee

I've been out on my bike. That usually can make me happy. Especially on a lovely day like today. And when a bit of retail therapy is thrown in. #raspberriesstrawberries

HollyDaze that sounds lovely!

Anything involving the DGSs makes me happy- a surprise visit or even a quick phone call on the way back from nursery. Or coffee with a good friend on s sunny Sunday mornng. Moments of intense happiness have also occurred- when I have truly thought "I could die now and die happy" such as the glittering opening night of As You Like It at Stratford last year designed by DD. I was on Cloud 9 all weekend. But mostly it involves the DC or DGC!

Soutra opening night ones!!

A phone call from my friend telling me that her check up went well and she needs no more treatment for the time being!

I am happy because my grandsons transplanted kidney is working really well. He is 24 tomorrow.

I can see that would make you very happy supernan.

Thats great!! superman

I should add my daughter is well too. It was her kidney. Thank you for your good wishes.

That isn't a small thing, Supernan, it's really big news! So pleased for you all.

Oh! Brave daughter! to her and you.