To counter the “pet peeve” question, what is something small and a bit different that has inspired a dopamine rush for you in the last 24 hours?

I came home for lunch today. After the usual excited greeting from my dog as though she hasn’t seen me in 10 years, she asked to go out. She’s been sunbathing for the past 15 minutes. She really knows how to live.

Just went to the library and they had a reserve book I’ve been wanting to read that I didn’t know was in yet.

The squirrel running one way on the top of the fence, my dog running the opposite way with her nose just off the ground. She never saw him.

She chases the squirrel, a couple of times a week, up one of the trees in our backyard.

A chat that me and my girlfriend had with an old friend of mine, and his girlfriend, my girlfriend’s aunt.
Unexpected, and priceless.

I ran into an old girlfriend at Walmart a few days ago. Old like in my first real adult relationship from 25 years ago, the kind you compare all of your successive ones to. You never stop caring about them even though life takes you in different directions. She was happy and healthy. It was good to see her thriving.

@hat You know you and I have our disagreements, but the same thing happened to me today.

.

I saw a snowy egret fly up from a creek to the roof of a local church.

I was able to park the car and get some good pictures. And then after I put my camera away, I was able to watch him fly away.

My boyfriend initiated a kiss with me. I’m usually the one who leans in for a kiss first. It’s a very small thing, but it feels wonderful.

I was up very early because I agreed to feed the neighbors’ chickens. Unexpectedly, that made me really happy. I’m not sure why. It was a beautiful autumn day – pale blue skies, slanted rays of warm sun, and that crisp smell of cold to come. It felt good to be productive, and the chickens were happy to see me. I liked them so much, I went back to my house to get them some raspberries and tomatoes as a special treat. I’ve been thinking about what to take tomorrow ever since.

A bit later, I was relaxing after work and just seeing the yellowing leaves outside my window made me feel a jolt of gratitude. Happy to be safe, to live so close to the forest, to have eyes that can detect colours.

Then, in the evening, I went to an agility class with Wilson. We hadn’t done anything like that in years, but he flew over the obstacles and rushed through the tunnels. He was so obviously psyched, and he’s been sleeping the deep and restful sleep of a satisfied animal ever since.

I had a good day.

I got a big chunk of work done and now, instead of weighing down my shoulders, it’s sitting with colleagues for review.

I took a ride through the back roads of my town. It was a gorgeous fall day. I love looking at the trees, some of which were beautiful yellows, and looking at houses and landscaping. It was really picture perfect. I didn’t take any photos, I just drove and enjoyed the ride.

I went Fly Fishing. The rush came from the following in no specific order:
Nature, Fly Casting, trout.

I am getting a kick out of noticing the daily progress of my neighbor’s tree as it transitions from green to red for Fall.

Right now I’m having a good laugh at the expense of the app Nextdoor. There are a lot of whale sightings right now in our ocean and I had posted a question this morning asking if anyone had seen whales off of X or Y city.

Someone responded to the post and above my Q was a banner from Nextdoor that said,

“Let neighbors know if your Lost & Found post was #reunited”

^^^ I hate it when my whales get lost!!!

^^ I know. I was calling “Amos,” “Amos” all over the neighborhood and he didn’t come back!

@janbb Did you see the video of the guys that were fishing off of Belmar the other day, and the whale breached right next to their boat? The guy was screaming. I saw it on the news.

^^ No, I’ll have to look for it.

^^^ Found it!