Blatherskite

Let’s face it. The Oregon rain is getting me down a little bit. Mind you, I like the rain better than the snow and ice and I don’t want to go back to it. At least in rain you can go out and walk without the fear of slipping and falling on your ass. But the constant driving of the rain gets to me after awhile, not to mention the lack of sunlight.

The beginning of the week was a downer. I had a horrible experience at the Oregon DMV on Monday (which, I assure you, I will blog about) and everything kind of went downhill from there for the rest of the week. I woke up yesterday at 4:00 AM freaking out about all of the stuff I have to do for work and couldn’t go back to sleep. I decided that since I was up I might as well run (I started the couch to 5k program this week). It helped. As I ran I made a mental list of things that make me happy and you know what? It totally worked.  I thought, “I should make a blog post about this so that when I get depressed again I can look at it and be happy again.” Guess what? Allie from Incidents and Accidents did the same thing that very day! And she asked her readers “What’s been making you smile lately?” So here are my answers:

Knitting. And anything yarn and fiber related, really. I seriously love the craft. It comforts me and calms me. It has gotten me though some rough times.

Mt. Hood. I love Mt. Hood. I have always been fascinated by this mountain, even when I was a little kid. Nothing makes me happier than seeing it when I drive to work in the morning on a clear day. When I see the peak of it it comforts me. I feel complete. Imagining the lupine meadows up at Timberline Lodge is my vision of heaven.

Watching the sunset or sunrise over the ocean. There is absolutely nothing that compares with this. It is a spiritual experience.

Santa Cruz. My heart aches with longing when I think about Santa Cruz. I miss this town so much. When I want to feel happy I think about this place. I swear, sometimes I feel like I left part of my soul there and that part of me is living out life in an alternate universe. Last winter, during the darkest part of that horrible snow we experienced, I would peek at the Santa Cruz beach Cam and it would make my day brighter.

A good song. Today, the above is that song. I think this is why running made me feel better. Listening to music is one of life’s simple pleasures.

Those are just a few things that, when I think about them, give me instant joy and bliss. And since Allie asked on her blog post, and since I think it’s an interesting subject, What makes you happy? I would really love to know! Let’s kill the winter doldrums with some positive energy!