Thirteen Thursday # 8

Thirteen Things That Make Me Happy:

1. Clean, 100% cotton sheets that have been dried on the line. It’s something about the sunshine or the fresh air, or maybe just my imagination, but it smells so darn good!

2. Walking on Hendry’s Beach with the Wonder Dog. It doesn’t matter if it’s hot or cold, whether it’s early morning or sunset or the middle of the day. It always makes me feel good about living.

3. Going to Las Vegas with Torn. We’ve been going for many years together. We used to go with my mother, and sometimes twice a year, but now only in the summer. Last year was the first time I won anything of note, but it’s always a great time. It’s like a little fantasy world; no phones, no responsibilities… just the chance we might win big, free drinks, and laughing, laughing, laughing.

4. A clean house. It’s rare with me these days. Okay, it’s unheard of with me these days, but it has been known to happen. It’s a curse really; I hate keeping house, but love to have folks over. It’s the one thing that keeps me from going over the edge into pigsty-dom.

5. Fathers enjoying their kids. This gets me every time. It doesn’t matter if the child is a toddler or a teenager. You can tell when a dad is having a good time just being with his son or daughter. It can actually make me cry (if I’m PMSing).

6. Getting a pedicure. Bright red polish is my favorite toenail color. I have the feet of a hobbit, and this is my one indulgence. I never get manicures though.

7. Getting a card or little something in the mail for no reason. This doesn’t happen too much. People are just too busy. I try to remember that and do it for others instead.

8. Going out to lunch after 8th grade graduation with my teacher buddies. We’re all dressed up already, and we usually go somewhere kinda swank. We usually have a few glasses of wine, and it feels a little sneaky, like we’re playing hooky on a school day.

9. Saturday barbeques with my friends. This doesn’t happen much anymore, but I’ve just bought a little gas grill for my backyard. I’m going to start it up again. There was a time I used to bbq with my roommate and our friends every weekend. I haven’t had a roommate for eight years now.

10. Wine tasting when I’m not the designated driver. The Santa Ynez Valley (just inland from Santa Barbara) is an awesomely beautiful place, and when have you ever met grouchy people wine-tasting?

11. The first kiss. You know, when you aren’t sure it’s going to happen, and then it does? So, it’s been a while for me. I know. But that doesn’t mean I don’t remember. Way, way back in my memory. It’s there. If I dig deep. Really deep. I mean China deep. But yeah, I love the first kiss, when everything’s a possibility, and nothing is a given.

12. Shopping in the Misses clothing department rather than the WOMAN’S clothing department. Yes, I’m in the largest size of the Misses department, but who cares? I’m no longer in the tunic and tracksuit community. The choices I have now are wonderful. Especially the dresses. Yahoo for dresses!

13. Being recognized. This is a huge deal for me. It can be something as small as saying “thank you for being such a good friend” to winning the Fulbright. For some reason, I have a lot of friends who aren’t comfortable with the “warm fuzzies” so even though I know they love me, it always makes my heart swell a little when they actually do tell me why they’re glad I’m their friend. And then, my job does not lend itself to commendations; the people that see me perform it are 13 years old. And, many of them take it upon themselves to keep me from performing that job. So, when a parent tells me I’m junior’s favorite teacher? Whoo boy… I can live off that for a long time.