What are 5 everyday things that bring you happiness?
If I had to pick five everyday things that bring me happiness, I’d start with a good cup of tea. Not because I’m refined, but because it’s the only part of my day that doesn’t immediately fall apart. There’s something reassuring about a drink that asks nothing of you except not to spill it on yourself, which I still manage to do with impressive regularity.
Second is a quiet walk along the coast. I like to imagine I’m striding purposefully like a Victorian naturalist on the Isle of Wight, when in reality I’m dodging dog mess on the pavement and avoiding road closures from “Island Roads” who manage such things over here. I pretend I’m not out of breath after a gentle incline from the car park. Still, it counts as exercise, which is more than I could say yesterday.
Third is finding a pound coin in an coat pocket. We haven’t had pound notes for donkey’s years as the value of sterling continued to fall . It’s the closest I’ll ever get to financial triumph. Dragons hoard gold. I hoard loose change and expired receipts. We all have our super-hero skills.
Fourth is a well timed cutting comment. Nothing lifts the spirits quite like realising I’ve managed to be both petty and witty all in the same breath. It’s practically a life skill at this point in my life, although not one that appeared on CVs when i was younger for reasons I’ve never understood.
Finally, there’s the joy of sitting down after doing absolutely anything. Standing up is wildly overrated and bad for my blood pressure. Sitting down is civilisation in one action.
So there you have it. Five small pleasures that keep me going. Modest, slightly tragic, but reliably approrpriate to the increasingly older man.
Further Reading
The Shape of Now: Meta Hub – This article is part of the Shape of Now Meta Hub, a curated collection exploring culture, politics, identity, and the present moment.