Top 10 Things That Make Me Happy

While in El Paso, I watched a show with my mom where two celebrities listed the top 10 things that make them happy. Friends, family and health are givens. Here's my list followed by some explanations. What makes you happy?

1. Traveling
2. Having a great book to read
3. Writing
4. Game nights
5. Teaching
6. Someone singing to me
7. The smell of rain
8. Fountains
9. PJs
10. Crafting

Traveling - There is just something about leaving your life behind (not forgetting it, mind you) and seeing some place new. It's the adventure of being out of your own element and in someone else's. Nothing compares to being able to travel and experience something new you would have never been able to if you had stayed in one place.




Having a Great Book to Read - The next best thing to traveling will always be having a great book to read. Done well, great writing transports the reader to amazing places, real or not. I've been given some flack for reading mostly fiction or humorous non-fiction; told that it is second best to reading to learn. I whole heartedly object to the idea that reading fiction is not reading to learn. Fiction teaches the human condition.




Writing - Though I've lost touch with much more than blog writing lately, it still makes me very happy. It's like watching TV (which I don't do much of at all) or reading a great book, but with the ability to control where the story goes. I can create all sorts of adventures and choose where they go and how they get there. It's better than dreaming.




Game Nights - Growing up, my family played board and card games together. We are all competitive by nature. I love getting together with my friends or family for games. The games are really secondary to the laughter and fun of being around great people.




Teaching - I'm probably the only teacher on the planet who hates summer vacation. True, I get to travel. There is that, and I'm grateful for having the time to travel. However, I miss the kids. I miss bringing new ideas to them in fun and interesting ways and seeing them respond. They're also just dang fun to be around. It's truly the kids I loved about working at Disney. It's awesome I get to recreate that magic in a classroom.




Someone Singing to Me - It can be any song, even sung badly. Singing solo or along with the radio, making that connection lyrically, possibly emotionally (depending on the song) just makes me smile. It's like having my own personal rock star, performing just for me. Love it.




The Smell of Rain - It's the smell of the rain hitting the hot pavement (or sand in the desert) which hits you before the rain actually begins to fall that I love the most. The smell of the rain once it starts to fall isn't quite the same.




Fountains - No idea where I picked up my love for fountains. Even the most basic fountains draw me in. The more elaborate fountains absolutely enthrall me. I'm compelled to get in all of them... It's a serious battle of willpower not to.




PJs - I'm not talking about sexy nighties. I'm talking about super soft to the touch pants and matching tops, often with polka dots or absurd prints. At the end of the day, it's fantastic to slip into a pair of PJs and relax. My mother used to buy me PJs every time I was sick. They always brought me comfort and made me happy.




Crafting - It's about the challenge, not necessisarily the finished product. Trying new crafts, gluing, twisting, sewing, hammering things together to create something new is always something I'm willing to do. I'll see something and think, "I can make that." It's the process of trying to figure out how to do it, then actually doing it that I like most about crafting.

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3 Random Prompts - Sounds, Drunken Episode, Adventures in Space

For fun, I bought a book entitled, 642 Things to Write About. I asked my Facebook friends to choose 3 numbers, promising to write about whatever prompts followed their numbers. These are the results:

 

576 - Sitting in a single location for 20 minutes, take notes focusing exclusively on the sounds you can hear.

It sounds like a rustling leaf. Ticking dryly across the tile floor, edge over edge at sporadic intervals. Every now and then, it pauses, the sound replaced by tiny padded feet tapping lightly along the tile. When the soft pattering stops, the sound kicks up once again, beginning with the sound of the dry leaf hitting the tile from a fair height.

In the background, cicadas buzz their summery, evening hymn, rising and falling with the breeze. The only breeze audible near me is that produced by the ceiling fan. The light pull-chain clinks gently against the fan motor, which hums softly, in even, drawn out intervals.

The rustling has stopped, replaced by incessant licking, a rough brushing through soft fur, hitting the sticker the cat had been knocking around like a leaf. Moira desperately licks, her tongue scraping across the edge of the paper, slowly tearing off the sticker. With a slow suction noise, the sticker peels off her fur and hits the tile once again with a thin ticking. The padding of her steps grow quieter as she walks away.

 

289 - Another drunken episode.

"What? No. We are not doing that." Wearing leggings and boots to the bar had been the first bad decision of the evening. Responding to the arse at the bar who asked if I thought I was a super hero or something was likely the second. I was on my way to my third.

Ignoring the ever wise words of my friend Cate, I continued to make my way out of the bar. "It's okay, dude, I still have Halloween stuff in my trunk. I'm pretty sure I've got a mask and a cape. Trust me."

Cate sighed loudly, obviously not as inebriated as I, and stomped after me to the car. "Why do I have to be the bad guy?" She leaned against the green Honda Civic as I dug through the trunk.

"Duh, because both of us can't be superheroes. Someone needs to kidnap the girl and tie her to the railroad tracks." I grabbed the black Zorro mask my buddy Jack had returned and tied it on quickly as Cate stood staring, her mouth slightly agape in shock.

"We are not tying anyone to the railroad tracks." She crossed her arms, not bothering to catch either the orange Ninja Turtle eye mask or the black, floor length cape I'd tossed at her.

Frowning, I turned my attention from the trunk to her. Slowly, I grinned. "What if we tied Greg to the tracks?" It would take some convincing, but I was sure I could get Greg to play along. Cate has had a thing for Greg ever since her second year of college.

Cate barely considered before grabbing the cape and mask. "Now, you're talking," she grinned as she suited up.

"Great! Now help me find the cowboy lasso so we have some rope." What could possibly go wrong?

 

5 - You are an astronaut. Describe your perfect day.

Captain's log, 7/13/2178, 20:56. Won at Risk against the Martians again. It's really not fair. They don't quite understand the concept of divide and conquering. That and they just can't keep control of Europe. I'm worried they might start to take it personally and decide to take over Earth for real. Must figure out how to read Martian emotions.

I'm not entirely sure what it was that I had for lunch while gaming with the Martians. All I know is that it moved before, during and after being cooked. I keep trying to tell myself it tasted like chicken. Went back to the space station and promptly ate all of the freeze dried strawberries to get the "chicken" taste out of my mouth.

It's video night at the space station tonight and my turn to choose what to watch. I'm thinking something archaic, like Galaxy Quest. I'm sure the Martians would get a kick out of that. Maybe follow up with some Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes for good measure. I'm curious what their take on the Borg will be. I'm more curious about whether or not they'll like popcorn.

 

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Two Things Tuesday - Midnight Edition

I'm sure it'll hardly be Tuesday by the time I finish this post.  Nevertheless, it's still going to be a Two Things Tuesday post.  I had meant to write something earlier today.  However, I spent the day trying to think of two things to post about.  TWO.   Just two.  Seriously, how hard could that be?  Anyway.


1.  Have you ever looked positively mentally crazy?  While I try not to do this too often, I find myself in these situations more than I ought to be in them.  Today's crazy is compliments of my cousins Danielle and Emily.  For my bridal shower, they bought me this fantastic smelling perfume set from Victoria's Secret.  It's from the Sexy Little Things line and called "Tease".


Being home alone, with nothing better to do with myself, I decided to play with the contents of the gift set.  I tried the body wash, followed it up with the lotion, then a spritz from the fancy-shmancy perfume bottle.

Now, when I use foo-foo juice stuff, I expect to be able to smell it for maybe an hour on myself, then have it be noticeable to everyone but me after that.  This did not happen.  Hours later, I could still smell the pear, apple, vanilla, jasmine, and gardenia (oh, my!).  

It started to get to me.  Don't get me wrong, it smells great.  However... I was intrigued I still smelled so strongly.  So... I did what any self-respecting crazy person would do.  I licked my arm.

Anything that smells that strongly, I reasoned, was probably edible.  I wanted to know if I tasted like pears.  The first lick produced a taste that I thought might be pears.  Though, I wasn't sure.  It could just be the taste of lotion with lots of chemicals.  Pears/chemicals, same thing.  So, I continued to lick my arm for a little while in order to make a decision. 

Even the cats were watching me like I was nuts.

2.  I went to the post office today to ship a book to Wichita Falls, Texas and a box to Costa Mesa, California.  The helpful man behind the counter, who likes to give me a hard time every time I come in, mentioned it must be nice to be part of the 1%.  

Quizzically, I raised an eyebrow at him.  He responded that I was shipping my items more expensively than I should have.  I shrugged.  He fixed it and laughed, saying he was just picking on me.  :(

30 Things Series - How to Fall in Love Without Losing Yourself

The first half of the 30 Things List had things one should have before turning 30. The second half has things one should know. Without further ado, I give you #1 in a post of its own.

1. How to fall in love without losing yourself.

Now, I know it is wrong to post other people's published work. However, the story from the book was spot on for me, so I decided to post it in its entirety here until I get busted. My commentary follows the story.

_____________


What you are about to read is a fable, though it's inspired by the all-too-true experiences of many women we know.  It's a cautionary tale about a girl named Jess who had a way of losing herself every time she fell in love.  Love, of course, is a wonderful thing, a grand adventure of the heart.  But while it's thrilling to get caught up in its wake, don't forget to hold on to who you are - or that incredible person might get swept away.  That's what happened to Jess.


Like many young women in their twenties, Jess wanted a lot in life: a bigger apartment, a promotion, new ankle booties, and a loving boyfriend.  She was a meticulous dresser, kept her sunny studio apartment spotlessly clean, and loved her job.  She was curious about the city she lived in and drawn to the many things it offered, like art museums; tiny, interesting restaurants; awe-inspiring concerts; and even, when she was feeling ambitious, the occasional Shakespeare production.  She had a great sense of humor and many friends.  She was always busy on weekend nights.  Jess was a go-getter.  She had a good head on her shoulders.  And she was in love with love.


When Jess fell in love, she fell in love: headfirst, eyes wide shut, throwing herself into the relationship with her entire body and soul.  So much so that every time it happened, she would become a whole new person.


She met Baseball Billy at her corner bar one evening and was immediately smitten with his crooked grin and muscular arms - even though sports bored her to tears and she would have rather spent her Friday nights listening to a violin quartet than doing the seventh-inning stretch.  She stopped eating at her favorite French-Vietnamese place because Billy ate only at "chain" restaurants (to match the one he wore around his neck, she liked to joke).


But Jess's relationship with Billy stopped being a source of amusement to her friends when she started canceling plans, ignoring her book club, and giving away theater tickets to be with him.  They began to complain: What the hell?  When would they see Jess?  But the two stopped dating a few months later, and Jess was heartbroken, especially since she'd spent her entire year's shoe budget on tickets to see the World Series, which she had no interest in seeing.  Thankfully, there was always eBay.  Problem solved, and new platforms to boot.  (Jess liked puns.)


But when she met Sci-Fi Sam, Jess decided to try even harder.  She fell in love with his quirky sense of humor and owlish glasses.  It was a relief to be with someone whose vocabulary wasn't limited to "Babe" and "Get me a beer, would ya, hon?"  She read every one of Sam's far-fetched science-fiction screenplays and learned how to say "I love you" in Klingon without giggling.  On Halloween, she dressed up as Uhura to his Captain Kirk; she fought through the crowds in her uncomfortable Amidala headdress at Comic-Con; and she watched every episode of Stargate and Torchwood on Friday nights with the same intense devotion she used to give Man Men.


More than anything, though, Jess wanted a relationship to last.  She was obsessed with finding The One, and although she was only twenty-nine, she began to have an irrational fear that her city was filling up with smarter, younger, prettier girls every day who would take her right out of the running.  She had to put a ring on it.  It was time to get serious.


The next two years were a parade of boys - and the worlds that went with them.  There was Alt-Rock Andy (suddenly her iPod was filled with bands she'd never heard of, whose song lyrics she mauled when she sang along); next, Hockey Hal (now Fridays were at Madison Square Garden, and Jess discovered there was a certain thrill to pounding the glass and yelling); then Pretentious Pete (an aspiring writer whose short stories she could not understand but pretended to love); and finally, Hipster Harry (for him, she cut her hair into choppy layers to look more like the girls at the clubs they partied in till dawn).


She'd given everything to every boy she'd ever fallen in love with, and after a dizzying and devastating run of it, Jess woke up one day in Harry's drafty loft and looked in the mirror: "Who am I?" she asked, appalled to see a girl with messy hair and tired eyes, wearing a baseball cap and a flannel button-down over a World of Warcraft T-shirt, along with skinny jeans that were so unflattering on her.  What had happened?


But instead of despairing, Jess laughed out loud.  One thing she'd never misplaced was her sense of humor.  Seeing her reflection, she remembered: "I am Jessica.  I like J.Crew cardigans and extra-large Frappuccinos and fresh flowers and clean apartments and real dates with men who care about who I am.  I'm going to call my friends and start paying attention to my work.  I will comb my hair, I will renew my theater subscription, I will go see the new Picasso exhibit.  And I will never, ever again pretend to love video games."  She breathed a deep, stress-melting sigh.  Getting to know Jess again was going to be the coolest thing she'd done in a long, long time.  And the rest, she was suddenly certain, would fall into place.


Which, of course, it did.

_____________

No, I'm not Jess.  Though, I have been.  A long time ago, I posted the quote to my favorite quotes section of my many social networking profiles, "You could be anyone."  No one really noticed, which was fine.  It was more of the first time I awoke to the fact that I had become Jess from the story.  I could be anyone I needed to be for whomever I was with.

Unlike Jess, I never changed myself as a mad-dash attempt to "put a ring on it".  Instead, I'd change myself to be the person I thought the person I was with needed.  Someone very dear to me referred to people like us as "Fixers".  The term fits.  We're drawn to a person for whatever reason - we stay because we believe we can fix whatever is broken about them.

Yeah, I know it sounds very martyr, holier-than-thou, but that's the way it is.  Usually the fixing works out, then the relationship ends - unless the Fixer is caught in a Catch-22 situation where the issue he/she is trying to fix would be perpetuated by him/her leaving.

It took me a long time to learn this one, and even now I'm still working on it (I can tell you all about beer, though it isn't even remotely on my radar of interests).

All I know about this is that it is important to discover you, the real you, figure out what it is you really want out of life, and then be true to what you want.  It's okay to be selfish in this.  After all, you only get 100 years to live.  ;)

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30 Things Series - In Flight Edition (11-15)

All boarded, iPad in airplane mode, playlist loaded. Let's knock out another chunk of these.




11. A set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra.

While I agree that all three can be fun, I'm unsure of the necessity of a cordless drill or a black lace bra. I feel like the last two on that list only lead to trouble.

12. Something ridiculously expensive that you bought for yourself, just because you deserve it.

I've got a shopping habit. Anyone who knows me already knows that. However, I rarely spend a fortune on anything. Every designer piece of anything I own was on sale well below half of retail. I've gotten much better at curbing my retail therapy this past year as well.

There are a few things that I'd like that I know are ridiculously (and therefore unjustifiably) expensive. Even the excuse that I deserve them hasn't been enough to push me to purchase any of them. I'd love a pair of Christian Louboutin red-soled shoes. I'd be tickled over even an empty Tiffany's box. Though, like I said, can't justify them.

I try to save my splurges for travel. I guess you could say that I've bought myself lavish trips. I spent a week in Paris and a week at Disney World - because I deserved to go.

Try as I might to save money in the future, I'm very rarely going to turn down a chance to travel. I want to see more of the US, tour Europe, even check out places where I can't google what the signs say because my keyboard doesn't do those characters.

13. The belief you deserve it.

It's not hard for me to believe I deserve to spend money on travel. I've done everything the "right" way in life. I behaved as well as any teenager could, never got knocked up, got good grades, a scholarship, went to college, graduated cum laude, and found myself a great career (not just a job). All of this equals to me that I deserve to spend money on ridiculously expensive travel. Hell, even a short "staycation" at a hotel in town for no other reason than I want to escape the rest of the world is justified in my mind.

While this may sound somewhat like entitlement, I feel the need to say that I worked to get where I am. I've done what I'm supposed to do and what I've had to do to make my world happen. That's different from saying I deserve it because I am awesome.




14. A skin-care regimen, an exercise routine, and a plan for dealing with those few other facets of life that don't get better after 30.

The first two were on my to-do list for a long time. I finally broke down and went to some experts for my skin. So far, I haven't collected many more wrinkles than those I picked up around 22. I'm hoping to keep my skin that way in as much of a healthy way as possible.

Starting earlier this year, I picked up running. I actually really enjoy going out for a run, even if I don't get to go for very long. It makes me happy to be able to go clear my head and people watch while running. I haven't been able to go for a month, but I intend to pick it up again soon.

As far as the rest of the things which don't get better after 30, I'll just lump everything under Health.

I know I need to start keeping out of things I'm allergic to - just because I can tolerate it with a Benedryl does not make it a good idea.

I know I ought to start watching my diet. I can count calories all day, but in the end, weight loss does not equal a healthy diet. I've cut a lot of the garbage out of my diet. I suppose I should look into cutting more of the crap and adding some more good things instead.

I know I could use more sleep on a regular basis. As much fun as I have on the Internet, I seriously need to hit the hay before midnight every night. This will likely be the hardest for me, considering the people I talk to online tend to keep later hours due to time zone differences.




15. A solid start on a satisfying career, a satisfying relationship, and all of those other facets of life that do get better.

I love being a teacher. While I get paid well, the satisfaction is definitely the kids. I miss them all summer, even though I get new kids in the fall. I look forward to going to class to teach and interact with them. It drives me. I love them so very much - even the challenging ones!

Someday I might like to try my hand at something else. I haven't given up completely on writing. Law school interests me. Perhaps I'll stick around the schools and become a principal. I don't know. For now, I plan to keep doing what I love until it has lost its luster. The kids deserve that.

I'm pretty sure I'm working towards the most satisfying relationship of my life. :)

 

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30 Things Series - Sitting at the Airport Edition (5-10)

While I'm stuck at the airport for the next hour and a half, then on a plane for 2 more, I figured I'd catch up on my posts based on 30 Things. Let's see how far I can get.



5. A youth you're content to move beyond.

Well, that would imply I will be beyond my youth when I turn 30. I'll be the first to admit, I've got a bad case of Peter Pan syndrome. It's all about the next great adventure. Granted, as I've gotten older, the adventures have changed from following the dog through the neighbor's yard to see what she sees to more grown up things.

I suppose a better way to approach #5 would be to assume it means accepting of one's past, good or bad, and moving forward contentedly. I'm there now, though acceptance and moving forward haven't always been my forte.

My younger years were fantastic. My family has always done what they could to give me everything I needed or wanted. I can't complain too much about my younger years. However, I was also deeply hurt by those I loved the most. For years I dwelled on every little bit of the hurt. What the catalyst was to my change, I'll never know. One day, I just decided that I was missing out on so much more life by focusing on the bad things they'd done. It just made sense to accept them as who they were, regardless of what they had done in the past, and to move on. It truly did make me more content. I carried less anger, regret and other harsh feelings.




6. A past juicy enough that you're looking forward to retelling it in your old age.

Everything is an adventure. Some are short and exciting, others run the full spectrum of emotions. I'm collecting adventures. I'm working on my favorite love story. Someday, I'll be a great writer.




7. The realization that you are actually going to have an old age - and some money set aside to help fund it.

If I am being honest, I have to admit I've never given much thought to having an old age. It simply does not compute that me, Miss Lindsey, would ever get old.

I'm not amazing at saving money. This is probably because I've never tried. A friend once told me that his grandfather used to say of money that "there is never enough, but there will always be more." I've found this to be true so far, but I can't count on that.

I've got a lot of expenses to sort through right now, but within the next 30 days, I fully intend on figuring out a solution to smartly save for (::shudders::) old age.



8. An email address, a voice mailbox, and a bank account - all of which nobody has access to but you.

I honestly believe this one has less to do with hiding things than it does preserving an ounce of privacy in a very public world. Many people hang their heart out to dry on the Internet, will share their hopes and dreams with people they'll likely never see again, and then wonder why they feel so raw when the world takes notice.

While I pride myself in being a very straightforward person, there are some things which are just best left unshared. Call it self preservation, call it being a better friend. In the book which accompanies the 30 Things List, there is a short story in which a successful writer, Jacquelyn Mitchard, writes about establishing a 1 to 5 ratio for listening and speaking. I'd use the excuse that I'm a story teller and like to talk, but so is Mitchard. It doesn't sound like a bad idea to adopt the same ratio. I'll be giving it a shot.




9. A resume that is not even the slightest bit padded.

This may be great advice for many people. However, I've done so much, padding the dang thing would knock it up past 3 pages. For being as young as I am, my resume is pretty long as is.

I've done a great many things through the years. While in high school, I had my own web design company. Later, in college, I racked up service and social organizations. I even ran a couple of them. For a while, I designed the artwork for the ads on the city buses in El Paso. I spent a chunk of time as a bookkeeper for a party supply store and later a finance representative for Cingular Wireless. After college I worked as an admin for a large medical company. Now, I'm a teacher who can't seem to say no when it comes to taking on new responsibilities, organizations and challenges.

By far the least believable thing on my resume is my time at Walt Disney World, in which I worked in entertainment, as "friends" of characters. But every bit of my resume is true.




10. One friend who always makes you laugh and one who lets you cry.

We collect "friends" by the dozen on social networking sites. It's when you need one for something, you find out just how many you truly have.

I'm blessed with a bunch of friends who make me laugh. They're just awesome, hilarious people. You, my readers, are the people I intentionally choose to surround myself with - good people who love life and like to laugh.

As far as a friend who lets me cry, I don't intentionally collect those. While I'm sure many of my friends would gladly be there for me and let me cry, I try not to cry.

I've leaned on a friend heavily lately. For that, I am eternally grateful.



 

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