When you're living in blinding pain twenty-four hours a day, three hundred and sixty five days a year, confined to bed while everybody's lives are moving forward, it's easy to get lost under a dark cloud and to live in its shadow. It's easy to adopt a negative attitude towards life, and look for a million reasons to be unhappy- and I don't think anybody would blame you.
Personally, concentrating on the negatives have never made my life easier, so I've fought hard to avoid them these last four and a half years. I obviously have the odd day or two when I can't escape those feelings of negativity, but I do my best to concentrate on the good things in life; the things that make me happy. Life may be difficult, but I still find happiness in so many things in life, from blogging to spending time with the family. There are always so many reasons to be happy!
The other day, I sat down and wrote a list of the things that bring happiness to my life, and I thought I'd share some of them with you today. Fifty of them, to be exact. Let's get started...
1. My Tibetan terrier puppy, Rosie.
2. Going to see my favourite bands play live. I'd go to gigs every night if I could.
3. Discovering awesome new novelty bags to add to my ever-growing collection of oddities.
4. Pretty patterned dresses. Wearing them, buying them, collecting them, admiring them... I just love patterned dresses.
5. Colour. Colour makes me so happy! I try to inject as much of it in to my life as possible.
6. Being around nature.
7. Spending time at the beach paddling, swimming and body-boarding in the sea, especially at Perranporth Beach in Cornwall.
8. Going for walks in the country.
9. Playing my favourite happy songs up loud. Or any of my favourite songs, tbh.
10. Wearing and buying colourful eye make up.
11. Curling up with a good book while the rain drums against the window. Bliss.
12. Taking photos. I'm permanently attached to my camera and take photos of everything!
13. Looking through photos I've taken and finding some awesome shots in the mix.
14. Cross stitching. It's so relaxing I can sit for hours on end contently sewing with a movie or some music playing in the background.
15. Concert adventures with my favourite people.
16. Those days that are made of sunshine and cloudless blue skies.
17. Exploring new places.
18. Day trips to London. Visits to Camden, Covent Garden, Oxford St; taking tour buses around the city; catching a musical or a concert; visiting an attraction; shopping; or finding a cool place to eat. Being in London makes me happy.
19. Being around animals. I'm a huge animal lover, and if I'm honest, I love animals more than most people.
20. Yellow flowers- especially sunflowers, tulips, daffodils, and roses. Okay, just flowers in general.
21. My best friend, Angela. She's a mate in a million, and never fails to make me laugh.
22. Creative writing. Even if brain-fog has turned my once articulate brain and writing skills to mush.
23. Blossom blooming everywhere you turn in the Spring.
24. Trips to the zoo. I'm just a big kid at heart.
25. Hazelnut milk chocolate; I can't get enough of it. It's definitely one of my biggest vices in life.
26. Citrus scents- particularly the satsuma range from The Body Shop.
27. Getting parcels in the mail- even if it's just something I've ordered for myself.
28. Buying new notebooks and other pretty stationery. I'm a notebook addict.
29. Freshly washed bedding straight from the dryer. Is there anything better?
30. Writing lists. I don't know why, but I love writing them!
31. Watching my favourite movies in my PJs (and no bra, obviously), under a warm cosy blanket.
32. Spending time outdoors in the sunshine. Although I burn super fast, and over heat way too easily, which I hate.
33. Christmas time. I love everything about it, and love soaking up as much festive cheer as possible each time Christmas rolls around.
34. Blogging! It makes me so damn happy!
35. Spending time with my family... well, on those rare days when they don't drive me nuts.
36. Watching The Big Bang Theory. I watch it almost every day.
37. Making things. I love having a go at all sorts of creative projects- even if I'm not particularly talented at anything.
38. Reading lovely blog comments, messages, and emails from my lovely readers / you! I may be shit at replying, but they do mean the world to me.
39. Going to see musicals at the theatre. And just watching them at home. What's not to love about suddenly bursting in to song mid-conversation?
40. Spending time in Cornwall... even if it has been almost six years since my last visit because of my health. It has and will always be like my second home.
41. Eating chocolate hazelnut and Nutella gelatos. Nom.
42. Discovering a new dress with the most amazing novelty print in my size. Hell yes!
43. Those rare days when I manage to leave the house for an hour or two. When I've been stuck in bed for weeks on end, just getting out for a random drive or a quick trip to the supermarket will cheer me up. Although I'm much happier when I get to go somewhere fun!
44. Giving gifts to the people I care about, and seeing them smile when they genuinely like what I gave them.
45. Painting my nails bright colours, especially bright red.
46. The return of light summer evenings, after months of short, dark Winter days. Goodbye, SAD.
47. Retail therapy. At least, until the post-shopping guilt kicks in. Haha!
48. Buying myself fresh flowers.
49. Long leisurely naps. Who doesn't love a good nap? I appreciate them so much more now I don't get much sleep at night, thanks to chronic pain. I've not had a full eight hours in almost five years!
50. Having some time to myself to recharge and get stuck in to the personal hobbies I enjoy like reading, writing, cross-stitching, and blogging.
Well, those are some of the things that make me ridiculously happy. What makes you happy in life?
This is a great list. I'm sorry you are in pain always, that must be so wearing on the soul and the mind but you have a good attitude towards it with embracing things that make you happy. It is good to find the joy despite the pain.
ReplyDeleteCornell is lovely. I'd love to return again. I'm going on a cruise in August which calls at the isles of Scilly (where I am meeting a blog friend) and I'm so excited to be going there!!!
It's v nice to know you appreciate comments even if you dont reply.
I can't wait for Summer! The sun is lovely and not having to wear tights.
I wish pretty dresses didn't make me feel so happy- I'd be richer if they didn't!!!
Take care.x
Your attitude is amazing, I really admire you. I have some health problems that cause me pain - no when on the level you experience, but it can be hard to keep spirits up when you're really struggling! I love many of the same things you do - dresses (obviously), cross stitch and mail! I was thinking of you the other day actually and was wondering what your thoughts were on being pen friends (well more like mail buds) - I'd really love to get into sending more mail again!
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