What simple thing, not including sex, makes your day more enjoyable?

Thank you for the good question.

I have quite a number of little things.

I’ve just arrived at work, so the first thing that comes to mind as an answer is my morning commute. I work early, and I leave home a little early. Instead of driving on the freeway, I take a surface street. I drive very slowly down the street, and I normally hit all the lights green. It’s a one-way street, so that adds to the comfort. There’s very little traffic. It’s so much more calm than having to worry about merging onto the freeway, driving fast, and avoiding other cars.

Drinking tea is another small activity that brings me joy. It’s a whole ritual. There’s filling the kettle and turning it on. There’s getting the cup ready. When I’m at home, I make it using loose leaves, and I have to measure the tea. There’s the waiting while it steeps, and finally, there’s the enjoying the beverage.

Thank you. Thinking about these things helps me feel good.

There are many things that bring a smile to my face. A simple hello and smile from a stranger. The barista at the coffee place knowing my name.

A quick solution to a tough Wordle. The beauty of last night’s Hilary related sunset, this morning’s unusual sky at dawn.

Being open and welcoming to awe increases the awe in ones life.

When it’s a beautiful day and I get to spend a few hours on the deck, on the chaise lounge, under the umbrella, it feels perfect. I live across the street from a lake and in the summer, it’s like a vacation spot. It actually used to be a vacation spot until the building of the interstate which is about ten minutes away. It’s truly idyllic in the summer, and I love to be on the deck with a book or magazine, some Diet Coke, and the cats get to hang out, too.

When I go somewhere and see some beautiful nature, it’s not every day that it happens but it really sustains me. Last year we went to Montana, Wyoming and South Dakota and I have fond memories of it. This year, we went to Alaska. Usually in the summer, we would go to Cape Cod and even though we’re more familiar with it there, it’s beautiful and wonderful.

NY Times has a new game, “Connections.” It takes about five minutes and a new one comes out every day at midnight. They offer sixteen words and you put them in four groups of four, via their connections which can be anything from “men named Tony” to something more obscure or less obscure. It’s fun and simple and when I get it right, it makes me happy.

Quiet. No noise, or grey noise.

Zumba.

Appreciating the building where I taught Zumba today.

Seeing my friends.

My comfy bed when I wanted to take a nap.

Walking outside and it is warm and humid and blue skies and palm trees.

I agree with @elbanditoroso about the total quiet. My house is completely quiet at night. It can be during the day if no one is mowing the lawn or making any loud noises.

Morning coffee
Goofy dog
Bears on Facebook
Neighborhood kids being silly
The smell of my bread baking

And so on, and so on.

If I’m awake early in the monring (too early) and I get to go back so sleep for an hour or two, it’s heavenly.

@jca2 I love that early morning back to sleep time too.

@janbb I considered going back to work, and had a job offer which seemed close to perfect, but the thought of the morning stress and losing sleep ( that extra hour) is really what made me not apply for it.

Coffee

Fluther, food, a nap, Griddlers, Hedgies, a Netflix series, beading, going to the Urban Bead Gallery and beading with friends at the big table, animal and baby videos. I live a boring life and I’m in an apartment so I don’t sit out on my patio.

Waking up feeling good with NO aches or pains!!!

A happy wife.
A great cup of coffee.
A nice shower.

A period of silence.

Eating. I live to eat.

Good coffee.

A cat.

Friendliness from others.

Humor.

Good food.

Hugging my family (dogs too) and telling them I love them. Corny, I know…but it puts a smile on my face.

Iced coffee in the morning.

Cool, dry air with a bit of a breeze. My favorite weather.

Quiet time alone. Even if it’s just in my car.

(And sex is not simple. It’s rather complex really with all the face paint and jello.)

^^ (And the pressure washer )

Helping an old friend clean his outdoor shed, basement and garage. He has become shockingly infirm and cannot perform tasks that we considered easy 6 months ago. He is getting on in years and is looking at his stuff in a different light.
Working together with him was a privileged pleasure.

We found an unopened, 50 pound bag of lawn fertilizer from Agway dated 1973! I spread it around in his yard.

@cookieman Don’t forget the cookie dough and pudding!!

@smudges: Cookie dough, sure…but pudding?!?! What is wrong with you? ;^)

@LuckyGuy: Of course. For cleanup.

Is 1973 fertilizer still “good”?

My morning bus ride to work. It’s a three mile ride that starts along a few blocks of the largest lake in the city. We then enter the city center for the second part of the trip. The final part travels through the University campus where I work. It’s a beautiful ride but the view isn’t the only thing I enjoy about the ride. Our bus rider is very kind and greets everyone as they enter and/or leave the bus. He makes sure to address everyone, even if ten people leave the bus at a busy stop. He’ll say “thank you ma’am, thank you sir, thank you sir, have a good day, thank you ma’am.” His voice is soft and soothing. He almost sounds like Fred Rodgers.

It’s a very relaxing way to start the day.

Today I was in the library in a town that’s next to my town. I’ve been in this library a bunch of times, maybe 20 at least so I was somewhat familiar with the layout. Today, I asked where the periodicals were and I was sent to a whole different secluded section of the library that was like someone’s living room. It had really tall ceilings and two fireplaces, and two sitting areas with floor lamps and huge windows. It was a pleasure to sit there and read some magazines, and I was so happy I found this area. I will visit again. It really made my day special.

I asked one of the librarians that I am friendly with about it, and she said it was the original library from 120 years ago.

@jca2 Very cool!

Drinking cold, beautiful water…

20 years ago, I’d have said weed.

Simple thing? When it’s farting time and there’s nobody else there but me.

Double the fun if I imagine letting it rip smack dab on trump’s face.

Also, when train arrives just when I got on the platform. Same as when I just got to the bus stop and my bus shows up less than a minute later.

Btw, here is that bus coming right now! Ha!

@jonsblond I love your story about the bus.

@jca2 So cool. About fifteen years ago I had heard that lots of libraries are closing, but I think people still really appreciate them.

^thank you :)

Hearing someone I care about ask about my day.

@JLeslie I don’t know, maybe because I live in an area of high taxes so people want services for the taxes that they pay.

My daughters smile
A hike in nature
The ocean
Family
My dogs antics

We’ve got some fresh basil growing in a pot on the deck. Picking it fresh and enjoying it in a nice caprese salad is a simple and exquisite pleasure.

@cookieman We have no idea whether or not the fertilizer is still good. It’s probably good and there is a small chance it isn’t. But one thing is 100% certain – that 50 pound bag they couldn’t move is now gone! They can get to that corner of the shed now!

Make sure you’re wearing a raincoat when you use that pressure washer. :-)

I like looking at clouds in the sky being moved by the wind and their changing colours as the sun slowly sets. My desk is by a window on an upper floor that gives me open views of this panorama every evening. Below it is dark and cars are roaring about the world but above is the realm of the angels.