What makes you happy?

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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!

Just looked out of the kitchen window and seen a star. Haven't seen many stars lately.

I could have written that post myself, Eloethan, but not half as well. You are right, grandchildren, sunshine and a pop song you'd forgotten all about coming on the radio can all give such a lift! I heard a snatch of an old Hollies song today - wonderful!

I have to admit to low level unhappiness quite a lot of the time, with little flashes of happiness every so often. My grandchildren make me happy (most of the time!) and my dog is lovely company and makes me laugh. Sun makes me feel better and singing along (and dancing sometimes) to a pop song I like or listening to a favourite piece of music.

I think you have "got a life" Lilygran - having the ability to appreciate the small things in life - rather than hankering after bigger and better experiences - is not to be sniffed at.

Aww! These are lovely. I'm going to have to try a bit harder.

What's making me happy at the moment is that everything in DD's mobile home works. She moved on to our smallholding ten days ago and the shower, boiler, cooker, fridge, loo, lights etc., are all tickety-boo.

Phew!!

Now if the architect who's doing the plans for our annexe could just pull his finger out I'd be even happier

I'm very lucky that I'm happy and content most days. Today being one such.
We have not long moved into a new Bungalow. DGD didn't take to kindly to this, she hates change.
She came today and I had bought her some play makeup. When she had 'done' her face, I told her to put it back in my bedroom. No, she said, it's going in MY room. I knew then that she was happy here.
Then we went to the beach. Another lovely day.

Going for a walk for two hours, and actually getting back again without sitting down.
Saw lots of spotted orchids, which made me very happy as the place they were was dug up by the council last year, with big machines, so I was worried they would not be there this year.
Spotting a young bird, taking a photo, and identifying it correctly.

This is the same as my machine, 128K, Grannyknot
www.singersewinginfo.co.uk/128/
My OH managed to break the key in the lock of the, huge, wooden case a few months ago but we were able to get a replacement.

I had a burst of happiness yesterday.
We were at DD2 & SiL's for a bbq and DD suddenly asked if it was too early to mention Christmas, and what were we doing.
After some tortuous conversation, with lots of not treading on anyone's toes, it transpired that they were actually inviting themselves to come to ours for Christmas. I felt overwhelmed and really grateful - it's 5 years since any of the DCs came to our house for one reason and another, and I had begun to think they never would again.

Oh dear, I wish I hadn't posted on this thread now! I don't find life hard - perhaps I'm just deficient in the Pollyanna gene at the moment...

I'm sure it's only temporary, and I hope the same applies to others who can't seem to find joy in the simple things, for whatever reason, just now.

Saturday afternoon made me very happy as my dd,ds, dil and all four dgc were with me!
That's a very rare occurrence, and it was lovely.

Tonight, while speaking to me on the phone, ds had to go upstairs to see what little gd was shouting about. He gave her the phone while he changed her 'wet bumbum', and she chatted away, telling me that "I in a big girls' bed now nana, and I coming to your house to sleep"

That made me happy too.

Lilygran, like you I enjoy life and especially appreciate the 'moments' that feel good.
I have a regular visitor who comes to me for help when she's feeling low. She has a husband who loves her, they're retired and financially well off, they have six or seven holidays a year - and yet she has no joy in the simple things of life and I feel really, really sad for her. She believes that she ought to feel content or happy with life, but if the feeling isn't there it isn't something that can be manufactured. We none of us can know what it is to walk in another's shoes, so every time I meet up with this poor woman I find myself doubly counting my blessings.
for those who find life hard.

So it s a sling handle then? How lucky you are. That would make me happy too.

No it's not a treadle Grannyknot but it's in beautiful condition. My Grandad bought it in several instalments just after they married and it was always oiled, polished, treasured by my Gran. I have a modern, basic John Lewis model but I never use it I always use the Singer.

penguin a 1930s Singer! Is it a treadle?

I'm full of the small joys of life! I felt happy tonight walking back from the shops at the sight of a little girl, skipping towards me ahead of her mum, followed by the gran - because they were all three engaged in communication. The child was talking to her mum, the mum was talking over her shoulder to her mum, and the gran was imploring them both to slow down and let her catch up. It was just a simple happy scene, that rubbed off on me.

I feel the same as jingl and Rowantree. 'Quiet contentment' would be wonderful (although it sounds a bit 'Miss Read'-ish), but I do seem to have lost the knack of feeling those serendiptous happy highs the last year or so...

Rainbows - there was one today. Having all my family together under one roof for the night. That one more than anything, as it will occur less frequently in future. When the first rose blooms. Cake. Seeing a fresh green leafy landscape softened by light rain in the Spring. Lighting the fire on Autumn evenings. Bubble baths. DBH buying me flowers. And bringing me back a cake when he goes shopping. Summer evening parties in posh frocks with champagne or Pimms outside in the evening sunshine. Seeing ducklings on the river. GCs coming to me and wriggling backwards onto my lap, sure of their welcome. Going to a beautiful garden/house that also does tea and cakes ( I see a theme developing here). Finding clothes that fit and flatter/n. Singing in my choir. Eating out at nice restaurants. Paddling in the sea and collecting pebbles and shells.

It's the simple things.

Off the top of my head..drawing, crafting with my GD, lots of glitter, glue, felt pens.. Lego building, story telling with my GS.
Using my Gran's 1930's Singer Sewing Machine.
A new knitting project.
Southwold Pier and chips with my OH.