Ms. Daisy's 100 Little Things to Be Happy About

Hey lovies.  Yes, I know, it's been a while.  I have been working on getting a business started while doing school, creating a website for the business, running the usual household things and the chickens, teaching, and keeping the plates spinning, so I haven't had a lot left over to pour out in this direction.

Alas!  I am here for the moment and I wanted to give this to you.

Life is funny, isn't it?  Sometimes it's just so darn funny, it's not even funny.  In those times, you might just need to remember the good things that are out there - things that don't deplete your wallet (that much, anyway), and things that just make you smile because of what they are.  With that in mind, I wrote up a list of things that make me happy.  I've seen other people do similar things, but I am pretty sure I'm the only one whose list includes the entry "butter in general" (see #55).  I wouldn't want to deprive you of such illustrious things, and so I am here to share.

(p.s. I met up with a friend I haven't seen in a decade or more and she brought me a present!  What was it?  Why, a 3 pack of Kerrygold grass fed butter, of course!  Thank you, dear!)

Without further ado, may I present to you - Ms. Daisy's 100 Little Things to Be Happy About

1. A hot bath right before bed.
   
2. Seeing your kid swinging happily on the swing when they don’t know you’re watching.
3. The one cup of hot black tea you have at breakfast.
4. Laying with eyes closed in the sunshine.
5. Having a conversation and a cup of tea with someone who makes you happy.
6. Being in the middle of an amazing book.
7. Speaking to someone in another language.
8. Hitting the bullseye on the first try.
9. When your favorite flavor of Kevita is available and on sale.
10. Oboro incense.
11. Smelling something that flashes you back to a moment in your life and it’s so real, you can see and feel it.
12. When you must do the laundry and the basement is cold, but you can wrap a large hot towel around yourself and stick your head into the dryer and take a pretend nap on the warm clothes.
13. Finally sitting down after being on your feet all day.
14. What your kitchen/fridge/house/bathroom/vehicle looks like when it is perfectly clean.
15. Cracking an egg into a butter-filled cast iron pan that is so fresh, it’s still warm.
16. Jumping into the pool (or a lake) and watching the bubbles rise up around you.
17. Staring at the sky in the middle of the summer at sunset floating on your back in the middle of a lake.
18. Showering outside.
19. Finishing a triathlon.
20. The lateness of sunset in the summer.
    
21. Walking barefoot in the grass when it’s warm.
22. Hopping fences.
23. Cartwheels.
24. Getting paid to do what you thrive on.
25. The feeling right when the plane lifts off of the ground.
26. Sleeping until you wake up on your own.
27. New York City.
28. Having a passionate intellectual argument.
29. Laughing until you can’t breathe.
30. Falling asleep with the window open.
31. Being able to fix something for someone.
32. Saunas.
33. The feeling of an amazing foot massage.
34. Falling asleep when you are exhausted.
35. Getting a package in the mail.
36. Writing with a black Bic gel ink pen in bold 1.0.
37. Writing (or reading) a poem that expresses exactly where you are at that moment.
38. When herbs first sprout in tiny pots on your windowsill.
39. Digging your toes in the sand at the beach and not having anything requiring your immediate attention.
40. Getting a hug when you really needed one.
41. Lying in bed and realizing you got everything done you needed to that day.
42. Driving really fast (safely, of course).
43. Going for a run that exhausts your body, clears your mind, and alleviates your soul.
44. Painting your nails your favorite color.
45. Being alone in your own space.
46. Having a happy dream that when you wake up, it seems like it might really have happened.
47. Getting a text that makes you burst into laughter.
48. Re-reading a text that makes you sigh happily.
49. Watching your itty bitties sleep.
50. Seeing the sunrise from the woods.
51. The memory of epic youthful shenanigans.
52. Mission Peninsula.
53. Being genuinely happy for someone else’s good news.
54. Homemade bread with grass-fed butter.
55. Butter in general.
56. Being the person that someone wants to tell their new news to.
57. Your favorite classical/jazz music piece.
58. Finding the perfect gift for someone.
59. When it’s been raining all day and then the sun peeks out brilliantly and overpoweringly.
60. Getting to see ancient art in person (and wondering how many eyes and generations across the whole world have taken in that same painting/sculpture).
61. Really great foodie-grade (dark, obviously) chocolate.
62. The mountains.
63. The first day that it feels like summer of the year.
64. Seeing a hummingbird.
65. Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen.
66. The scent of your lovies.
67. Looking at your friend and knowing exactly what they’re thinking at that moment.
68. PR-ing a race.
69. The silence, the movement, and the freedom of swimming underwater.
70. New running shoes, a new endurance suit.
71. A good hair day.
72. Teaching someone something and getting to watch the light bulb turn on in their head.
73. Delicious, wonderful, amazing, hippie scented patchouli lotion.
74. Your favorite undies.
75. Finding someone who understands you.
76. An exceptionally beautiful face.
77. The vibrant green-ness of the grass in spring.
78. Campfires, fireplaces.
79. A hot washcloth covering your whole face.
80. Knowing that life usually works out just fine.
81. Learning.
82. Daisies and tulips.
83. Running past apple blossom trees in full bloom.
84. Seeing good friends again from a lifetime ago.
85. Summer + live music + outside + your favorite drink
86. Orion in the night/early morning sky.
87. Buffalo meat.
88. Listening to somebody’s story.
89. Flying down a hill on your bike.
90. Getting a massage when you are so sore that you involuntarily cry-laugh-drool-gasp in reaction to muscle pressure.  Stop!  No, go.  Stop! Go! Ow! More!
91. Getting in a(n outside) hot tub after skiing (or swimming/running/biking) especially while it is snowing.
92. The first red, ripe, garden tomato of the season.
93. Icelandic full-fat yogurt.
    
94. Getting into a bed of just-washed sheets and a super fluffy down comforter.
95. Falling asleep to your hair being played with.
96. Night swimming.
97. Listening to your little one laugh ridiculously at something ridiculous.
98. The way Londoners speak.
99. Kitchen dancing. 
100. The thought that you can change the world for the better a little bit every day.

Yes, it may be unique to me, but perhaps some things resonate with you also.  If they don't, well then, get yourself your own piece of paper and start making your own list.  In fact, I'd love to hear it.  Wanna share?  Comment below.  I read every single comment.

Peace, love, and focus on the happy,
Ms. Daisy

What are you reading?

Happy New Year, dearies!  

It's a good of a time as any to pick up a book.  I suppose it could even go along with a New Year's resolution (just kidding).  

What have you been reading?  Anything interesting?  

I read quite a bit, but don't always post on Ms. Daisy's Reading Club.  I suppose I might have to admit that sometimes it is out of laziness for not wanting to write a post about it, and other times I am just determined to be secretive about what I'm reading (muahahahahaha).  Okay, not really.  I just don't write book reports on every book I read.  You don't either, do you?

If you would like to share with me what you're reading, I'll be more than happy to listen, and if it sounds quite interesting, I'll be even happier to send out a request to the library to have it brought in so that I might read it.  I prefer non-fiction, and will read anything from science and geography to history and the ever exciting peer-reviewed journals of medical literature.  I used to be a fan of fiction, and I will very occasionally read a fiction book here and there, but only if it makes me laugh aloud.  (Otherwise I am quite content for you to keep your Danielle Steel books collecting dust on the shelf.  No offense.)

In the meantime, if you're looking for something to read, I have recently been reading biographies.  The first is on the scandalously exciting life of Warren G. Harding (the 29th President of the United States) and the current book is on Cleopatra the Great.

If you're interested in either of those, I have a little blip on them over in the other side of the blog.

Warren G. Harding's book is here.

Cleopatra the Great's book is here.

That's it for now.  I hope you've had a very peaceful and happy New Year so far.  

May your 2016 be the best one ever.

Peace, love, and take a deep breath,
Ms. Daisy 

A letter to the Resolutionists

Dear Resolutionists,

Hey, how's it going?  It's been a while since we've seen you around - like maybe 11 months or so.  Are you really going to do this again this year or do you think you can just skip it?

Don't take that the wrong way.  I'm not trying to be mean.  

Here's the thing: you really just don't care about exercising and health and I don't know why you're pretending to do it because you bought a new calendar.  You're using this momentus occasion to flip the switch in your brain from brownie-eating couch potato to what you hope to be a svelte Ironman.  

You got it twisted, bro (or homegirl).  You're doing it because you ate a gluttonous amount of Halloween candy, turkey at Thanksgiving, and everything in sight at the 4(0) Christmas and holiday parties you attended, and now you're looking at the scale with a horrified grimace, wondering how you got there.  You got there because it's your lifestyle.  It's what you like to do.

If you're not going to adopt exercise as part of your lifestyle instead of a Hail Mary to lose the ten pounds you gained in the last 4 months, what's the point?  

Our society loves quick fixes and pills to cover our real problems.  A healthy lifestyle isn't a pill.  It's your whole way of life.  It's your whole brain and your outlook.  Exercising to lose 10 pounds starting January 1 (cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye) is the equivalent of making your own quick fix.  What about you wanting to live a bit longer than the track you're on?  What about eating for health because it makes you feel awesome, energized, and clearheaded?  What about giving your body real nutrition so you can fight sickness, avoid lifestyle diseases, and live healthy and well (and be able to do what you're supposed to do)?  What about exercising and eating so you can do the things on your bucket list?

Nah, whatever.  What am I saying?  It's just another year, just like the one before it and the one before that.  

One day, however, that January calendar will be the last one you buy.  I hope when you get there, you don't look back with the same horrified grimace.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get it.  Life is more than clothes, and the body more than food.  If you don't have that straight, then your whole life is wasted.  But it sure is a lot easier to do what you're called to do when you have energy and endurance.

So, if you don't want to make it a way of life, maybe you should just sleep in.  The regulars like their parking spots, their lockers and their lanes.  

You mad, bro?  You're a Resolutionist.  Man up.  You get one life.  Do it, don't waste it.

Peace, love, and you don't have to wait until Friday,
Ms. Daisy

I hate the Mockingjay 2 movie

I am about to go off into a flying rage about the Hunger Games: Mockingjay 2 movie.  If you haven't seen it but want to, I am going to include the ending of this movie in this rant so you may want to go elsewhere.

That was your warning.

I watched the first movie whenever it was that it came out and it was horribly disturbing to me.  The thought of sending people to kill each other in a fake weird televised cyberworld for entertainment is so sick and perverse that I couldn't get it out of my head for a week straight.  I wanted to puke when I thought of it.  

On Friday night I saw Mockingjay 2, the last of the Hunger Games trilogy. 

This movie is HORRIBLE.  (I can hear all of the faithful fans screaming, "Why?!")

Peeta.  That's why.

That and the blatant disdain for manly testosterone and the promotion of wimpy pansy pants men with zero cojones, you know, like Peeta.

Ga ga goo goo?

At the end of the movie, Katniss got out of her bed, walked down the hall, climbed into bed with lame Peeta (since he doesn't have a house and she is providing that for him, too), and he said, "You love me, real or not real?"  Now, I have to tell you, up to this point I had no question in my mind that she would eventually marry or be with Gale and that if she loved Peeta it was only because he was like some kind of suffering baby animal.  I figured she was using stupid Peeta (although I had no idea what for, since his positive qualities are: 1. can bake bread, and 2. can plant flowers.  I'm sure that Katniss could take care of figuring out how to get that done herself in about five minutes, so why would she want to hang around sad sack?) or she felt sorry for him since his brain was poisoned by Dictator Snow and she was just making sure to hang around him long enough until she knew he got better and then she could leave and go be with a real man.

Are you keeding me?

 When she said that she did love him, I literally put my hands on my head and closed my eyes.  MIND BLOWN.  What the HECK is going on around here?!  At this point of the movie, I almost got up and left.  I silently began muttering, "No.  You have got to be kidding me.  This is not happening."  The movie was ruined at that point and I could barely recall any redeeming qualities about why I wanted to see this stupid thing in the first place.

Peeta?  You want to be with Peeta, Katniss?  Are you freaking kidding me?  First of all, do you have a sight impairment?  Maybe you're legally blind?  Maybe you have severe dementia?  Yes, I know, looks are not everything.  I get that.  But seriously?  Have you seen Gale?  He's tall and extremely good-looking...and he's a soldier.  He protected your family, he can fight like a boss, he goes out in the woods and hunts with you, and he is capable of taking care of himself and you.  

 

Just on looks alone, Gale would have to be a murdering, molesting, crack dealer who eats children for breakfast in order for Peeta to even be able to be put into the same ring with him to compete.

And then there's Peeta.  He's short, has weird eyeballs, fluffy hobbit hair, he cries a lot, can't be trusted with any weapons, can't even take care of himself, and his favorite thought is probably, "Save me, Katniss!"  (That had to be said with a scrunched up baby face, pinkies in the air, and hands flapping for full effect.  Try it again.  There.  Now you get the full effect.)  Oh, but he can bake bread, so yeah, I mean, I totally get it.  Sign me up.  Right.  Why would any woman not be jumping at that one?  I'll bake my own dang bread, thankyouverymuch.  He is pretty much the definition of pure 100% unadulterated pansy.

I was literally bewildered at this twist of the movie.  

The complement of a strong woman is not a weak man.  The complement of a strong woman is a stronger man.  Katniss' character showed that she is more than capable of taking care of herself, which is what makes Gale's character so appealing as a match for her.  When you solely take care of yourself, it is even more special to have someone to be able to step in and take care of you.  You don't need it, but it is a gift.  It makes it all the more sweet and precious.  He was going to go with her when he figured out that she was going to go it alone.  He knew her and understood her enough to even see what she was going to do before she did it.  

Instead she picks painter pansy Peeta who we find playing in the dirt planting flowers.  Really?  And then has children with him?  What are you going to do if a bad guy comes to your house?
 
Peeta:  Katniss!  Help!  There's a bad guy at the door!
Katniss: Peeta, take the children and go hide and pretend to be rocks, I'll take care of this!  I have enough cojones for all of us!

My eyes are hurting from rolling so hard at the pathetic-ness of it.  Somebody give Peeta a lesson on sisu and push him out of a helicopter, please.

Perpetuating wimpiness (in general, but specifically in men) is not something to be applauded or rewarded.  This is perhaps what bothers me most about the movie.  So ugh.

Excuse me, I need to go do some pull ups.

Peace, love, and testosterone,
Ms. Daisy

 

The Hilarious Canadian News

I don't know how you feel about Canada.  Perhaps you feel the same way you do about Canada as you do for Switzerland.  They're just one of those nice countries that doesn't bother the other ones, and even though they are socialists and have universal health care and are generally unarmed, most of the people are considerably more alert and better educated than your average run-of-the-mill type in the United States.

I love to listen to CBC Radio 2 on the way home from swimming in the morning to hear their news, because any propaganda being barfed out on an American station is so insanely slanted and idiotic that I just end up gagging and yelling at the radio, and really - who wants to start their day off like that?  Not me.  So on with the Canadian station it is.

Their national news is about one billion gallons less narcissistic than the American news, and that is grand (Oh wait, there are other countries out there?!  Pish posh, don't be silly, of course there are.  And they are only important as long as they have a direct effect upon us.  Duh.  Talk about those only.  And do it from the perspective of how they probably should work a little harder to benefit us.).  I appreciate that Canadian aspect, but what I really tune in for is the entertainment of their local news.

I live in a place that if I tuned in to local news, it would be the news of Detroit.  Do you know what that looks like?  I just checked.  It looks like this: police officer's trial begins today for beating a motorist in their car, rape kits arrive in Detroit, apartments burn on Detroit's west side, man found dead of strangulation after a fire, woman won't be charged in son's fatal shooting, and cameras capture thief breaking in to gas station.  I am not even keeding.  Those are the headlines for today.  They're pretty much the same everyday, give or take a few rapes and murders.

HOWEVER.

In Windsor, across the river, we have a different kind of news going on.  It is refreshing and hilarious.

On CBC Radio 2, there is a lovely Englishman, Pete Morey, who subs in for Tom Power when he's out - and everyone likes to listen to a good English accent in the morning, so that's a win.  On the local news, you've got my favorite news person, Peter Dock (he's local to Windsor).  I have no idea what he looks like, but I imagine him to be very serious.  You should hear his voice.  He is so somber, matter-of-fact, and direct, I can barely stand it.  He is my favorite.  He seems so serious that I imagine myself meeting him, sprinting up to him with the most gleeful face, grabbing onto his shoulders and jumping up and down in front of him, gushing that he is my FAVORITE news person in the world.  If I had to guess, I think this would embarrass him, mostly from the overabundance of emotion I would be showing at that point, especially considering his apparent penchant for being excessively reserved.  That right there would make me even happier.  Stir it up?  YES, PLEASE!
 
What I am about to tell you is not a joke.  This was REALLY ON THE NEWS.  Peter Dock actually reported this this morning.  When he did, I erupted into laughter in the car so vivaciously that even I was amused at myself.

After they reported a building fire, Peter Dock came out with the stunning news that nearly ran me right off of the road.  Please, be seated before you read this.

It went something like this: "A teacher in LaSalle distributed a spelling sheet that included American spellings.  The word 'color' was spelled without the 'u', and the sheet also asked the students what state they lived in (said with much disdain).  The superintendent was notified and has corrected the teacher."

I love you, Canada.  This is the funniest news I have ever heard in my life.  It's sure a heck of a lot better than rape kits and being strangled and burnt to death.

Rock on.

Peace, love, and please do not pronounce Quebec with a "kw" sound (it's "ke-beck"),
Ms. Daisy

Entertainment: Ms. Daisy Style

I love to laugh.  If you can make me laugh, you will skyrocket to the top of my favorite people list so fast, it will be nothing short of utterly cray.  I can't imagine people not having the same sense of humor as I do, but it does happen.  (I'm married to one such person.  I've tried to reform him for the last 19 years of my life in this area to no avail.)  If you're wondering, my sense of humor falls along the lines of things like Monty Python, The Office, Rocketman, Portlandia, Homestar Runner, and Miranda Sings.  You know, all the awesome stuff.

So I got this great idea while I was driving today that would provide me entertainment and also include an opportunity to test out my friends and family.  What could be better?!  I was singing along loudly and dancing to "If I Had a Million Dollars" when I got the idea to send my brother a text that said, "If I had a million dollars, I'd buy you an exotic pet."  My brother will not find this strange at all, because nearly all of our communication is in the form of movie, TV, or song quotes.  

Then, I thought, "OH. MY. GOSH.  I am going to send these random texts to various people in my contacts list and see how they respond!"  Hooray.  What a great idea.  So excited.  Let's do this.

I texted my hubby, "If I had a million dollars, I'd buy you a fur coat."

Response: Nothing.  (FAIL)

I texted my friend Amy from high school, "If I had a million dollars, I'd buy you a green dress."

Response:  "I'd buy you a house."  (WIN)

I texted my female rock star drummer, Heather, "If I had a million dollars, I'd buy you a monkey."
 
Response:  "Could it be an Aye Aye Lemur?"  (WIN)

I texted my sister, "If I had a million dollars, I'd buy you some art."

Response: "A Picasso or a Garfunkel!"  (YOU WIN SO HARD)

I texted my friend, Deidre, a piano teacher, "If I had a million dollars, I'd buy you a nice Reliant automobile."

Response:  "?????"

Me: "It's from the song..."

D:  "Yes, I know, but random..."

Me:  "This text is from me, you know..."
 
Meanwhile, I am having the time of my life thinking of which lyrics I should send to various people and gut laughing while imagining their face as they receive such special messages from me.

I really recommend it.  You can't just text anyone, though.  You have to find the people with the right sense of humor, or you may get no response, and that will cause you to wonder about them.  (Weirdos!)

In the meantime, here are some things you should laugh at.  Go on, get on it.

Peace, love, and funny funny ha ha,
Ms. Daisy
 

When Life Sucks: The Practical Stuff

We don't have many things guaranteed to us in this life, unless we want to count some trouble, some taxes, and death.  (Woah, that sounds totally discouraging.  Don't take it like a downer, I'm just throwing out the reality.  Chin up.)  Many western thinkers feel that most of life ought to be sunshine and roses (and oh, how I wish it were, wouldn't that be lovely?) with some crap sprinkled in.  I am not sure if the rest of the world thinks that. It seems to me that if you lived with the expectation that life mostly sucks and is mostly a great deal of work with a little play and small trinkets of happiness, you could rejoice in the little joys (not to mention the big ones!) a lot more deeply.

You're probably thinking that sounds really pessimistic, but actually, I am an incorrigible optimist.  I think embracing the fact that most of life might not go the way you want it to allows you to be really happy and appreciative when sunshine pokes through.  Those who figure life better be a herd of happy unicorns dancing on sparkly rainbows are going to get their feelings squashed daily - when someone takes "their" parking spot at Trader Joe's (or at the gym, WHAT THE HECK), when the neighbor's dog takes a dump on their lawn, or when their favorite tea cup breaks (#firstworldproblems).  

But sometimes it just really sucks.  These last two weeks have brought many troubles - people dying too soon, a friend going through a divorce, and an old friend being diagnosed with cancer.  When you have to stand in the middle of that and your world is shutting down and the walls are falling in, you feel the overwhelming sense of being crushed, and the mourning floods in on you.  It presses on your chest, it takes your breath away.  When it hits you, it is gut wrenching, and the sobbing comes from so deep down in your stomach that your brain doesn't think in words anymore, it just rips through feelings, slices your insides and tosses your organs on the table.  You can't imagine doing anything except for curling up wherever you may find yourself (the couch, the bed, the floor, the grass, the glass-shard covered cement), submitting under the weight of the pain, and not getting up (also, someone please, toss a blanket over to cover up my head, no pillow, these shards will do nicely, thankyouverymuch).  

Strong people have gone through some stuff.  They've wrestled this beast before.  You won't be strong if you let it win, though.  

You get to have that time.  You get to eat cake for dinner or skip eating entirely.  You get to lay sideways and wish that you could dissolve into the carpet.  When you have gone through a jarring experience, a wild perspective and life change, I suggest that you take that horrible ride.  But that ride has an end.  You can't spend the rest of your life on that ride.  Yeah, it seems like it won't ever end, and you'll never get off.  That comes with the territory.  It's inherent to swan diving out of your expected reality.  And for a long time out (maybe even ~58.5 years, +/- 10-40), you'll have times when you get hit in the head and the heart and you'll feel yourself falling down again.  It's not weak.  It's a fight.  The weak give up when they're pushed over.  Stand up again and fight.

But how?  What does that look like?

I can't answer that for everyone.  I can only tell you what is helpful to me.  If it helps you, I am glad for it.  

If you've made it off of the floor, get yourself up.  Go exhaust yourself.  Demand extreme physical fatigue of yourself until you have no strength left.  Push your body as hard and as far as it will go until it silences your insides.  Sobbing is optional.  Praying is recommended.

When your body is debilitated, burn through your brain.  Challenge yourself so hard that you can't think straight.  Read crazy stuff, take a class (in a secondary language on a subject you're weak in), write, study, paint, create, bake, work.

And now, when the river floods you, pull out the good.  Bring up the sunshine.  When your brother or child dies, remember their life.  Remember their smile.  Be thankful for the time you were together.  Their memory won't ever go away, and in that they are still with you.  When you walk through a divorce, be thankful that you got to experience a relationship, a marriage.  Remember the good and the sweet from those wonderful times, and be thankful that you shared a life with someone and walked through things together, even though it didn't turn out the way you thought or hoped it would.  Pack them up in a box and tuck them in your soul.  When you stand there and hear that you have cancer, take a deep breath and love on all of the people in your life and be thankful that everything around you has become exponentially more precious.

It sounds disgustingly cliche, but things happen for a reason.  This life is orchestrated.  There is hope.  It's not how you wanted it, but that's not to say life will always be a crapper.  Let it mold you into a person who can be more compassionate because you have walked through the fire.  Let it fuel you to show more love to everyone around you.  Don't waste your pain.

The LORD is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18)

Peace, love, and a crazy gigantic super long squitchy hug,
Ms. Daisy