Taking off my shoes and stretching out my newly-freed toes.
I coach soccer for a group of 4- and 5- year old girls. It is the best hour of my week.
I saw a monarch butterfly on an apple that been half eaten by a groundhog yesterday . The butterfly was drinking the juice off the apple and it was so exciting to see a monarch butterfly , I only see about 3 the whole summer . . I love watching and listening to my dog talking in his sleep and him fluffing up the blanket to made the perfect nest to take his nap.
Waking up to a clean kitchen with a full teakettle. Coming home to a made bed.
I’ve recently started reminding myself of these so I take the few moments to make them happen.
Watching my silly puppy play outside. She zooms around as fast as she can run, with occasional stops over by me to check in, and then off she goes again. She’s a clown and she makes me smile.
When my son, who is autistic, is having a good day, and tries something new, or gives me a hug.
When the family does something together, like a board game.
This thread. 
Dogs figure big in this thread, and my post will be no exception.
My mini-Dachshund has very strict routines, enforced by him. There comes a time each evening when he demands to be held and positions his body and face such that he can gaze intently into my eyes for a few minutes. This must. happen. every. night. Cracks me up.
The morning cup of coffee, carefully made and anticipated to an almost obscene degree. I hope I am never required for medical reasons to give it up (nothing on the horizon so far!).
A crackling warm fire in the wood burner together with the evening glass of wine that is my line of demarcation between Work Time and My Time.
Chasing rainbows in the spring.
The sound of a red headed woodpecker calling. They remind me of kookaburras and always make me laugh.
A leisurely, giggly lunch or dinner with a close friend. I try to do this at least once a week.
An exceptional success when baking a tricky loaf of bread. I can happily brag I have now mastered French, sourdough, Ciabatta, whole wheat and multi-grain. Woo hoo!!
Clean windows.
A soak in the spa with something nice to sip and a clear night for stargazing. Especially when there is a meteor shower.
An impromptu guitar jam session with friends.
The arrival of an unexpected package or card or letter.
New clothes that make me look better than I deserve to.
Catching a glimpse of wildlife that isn’t paying any attention to me at all, especially watching ravens trying to sneak cat food.
So many things… ok, I’ll stop.
The first few pushes on the pedals on my bike. Don’t get me wrong, I love the whole ride, but it feels like flying.
I spend about the first 45 minutes of a working day with a boisterous, bantering, amusing, ridiculously diverse group and usually leave with a broad grin.
Also, for about one minute, I experience a school playground of 5-8 year olds, and that’s pretty glorious in a chaotic way.
Wish I cold keep a dog, though!
Seeing dogs in cars with their heads out the window. Their joy never fails to make me smile.
Also waking up early and knowing I don’t have to do anything or go anywhere, and being able to go back to sleep. YES.
I’ve learned to enjoy the first one of the season hammering on the gutters! I love their personalities and this is part of it.
That’s hilarious. 
They never get that close to my house, probably because the ravens are so territorial. My place is run by ravens. But I sometimes spot the woodpeckers staking out a bit of turf in the woods, making their homes for the spring and summer. I usually hear them before I see them!
I think, in terms of little things, it’s watching the birds in the woodsy area off my deck. It’s such a great variety. Turkeys, hummingbirds, nuthatches, chickadees, tits, sapsuckers, flickers, crows, steller’s jays, scrub jays, towhees, junkos, robins, variegated thrush, waxwings, and the other day, for a real treat, a pair of pileated woodpeckers that spent a couple of hours feeding on the Douglas fir and oak trees, big chunks of bark flying everywhere.
When I get something my four year old daughter wants, she’ll bop and twirl and sing, with a super funky accent, “Gittin’ some ice cream, OOH YEAHHHHH!” or the like. And she recounts the day’s picture book read-aloud almost verbatim, complete with gestures and intonation. Kid’s a natural entertainer, and it makes me grin.
While we’re eating breakfast, Flip-flop, my 8.5 YO pet rabbit, sits in his cage, tapping his foot, arms crossed over his chest; very patient. When we finish, THE PERFORMANCE begins: he picks up a toy (the same one every morning) and throws it–CLUNK!–into his plastic food crock. Then he picks it out of the crock and slams it down–BANG!–on the wire floor. CLUNK! BANG! CLUNK! BANG! Twenty, thirty times continuous. Why? His banana slice is late. Busts me up every time. The little turd.
And watch your fingers when you give it to him.
Auto repair gone right: Just replaced a blown head gasket, got it all bolted up, and “purr” like a kitten. 
Total cost: under $50 with a new oil filter.
Nice! Had several celebratory beers after this.
Having one now…
There’s a handprint on the wall in the bathroom left by my daughter. I get a deep sense of joy whenever it catches my eye.
What a lovely thread. 
I like crisp, cold-but-sunny days. Magical.
Spectacular sunsets and sunrise, especially if I’m in a position to photograph them, but even when I’m not.
That feeling of satisfaction after a tricky job is done.
I woke up the other day, all set to get up and go to work, when I realised it was Saturday. Wonderful feeling.
Fixing things. I’m not naturally handy, and I’m always absurdly happy after I’ve completed a minor DIY job without destroying anything important.
The Nephews.
Little kids in Explore Mode.
Parents who clearly enjoy their children’s Explore Mode
Seeing someone who’s happy.
Chocolate. There is a chocolate factory nearby and the first thing anybody from the area does when they hear you’re a recent arrival is ask if you know where their factory store is.
I realized a few years ago that a lot of America’s work culture is designed to work like a prison and serve as a constant state of low-level punishment for no purpose. I finally got high enough up and autonomous enough where I don’t have to follow it anymore. If you open the back of my SUV, you will find a whole range of recreational devices ranging from basketballs, to an inflatable boat to the ultimate folding lounge chair. While everyone else is eating a frantic lunch in the cafeteria or at their desk, I am sitting on a lake beach down the street in the sun or paddling around. Some people internalize the concept that work should be miserable but I fight strongly against that concept. Monday morning should not be viewed as the start of a new jail term. You should be allowed to do something enjoyable every single day and I try to find something that can serve that purpose.
I spend way too much on rent, but there are some mornings that are wonderful. We have complimentary coffee in the resident lounge. There are wonderful mornings when I can wake up and put the television on the music choice classical music station and look outside at the fresh snow. Equally, there will be glorious mornings in spring when I can enjoy going outside to the patio and enjoy the end of a long winter, having a coffee and reading on my Kindle.