OK, just for fun, lets talk about silly little everyday things that make us happy.
Every day when I get home from work, my little dog greets me at the door, then runs up the stairs to the kitchen ahead of me for a well earned doggie treat. The cute thing is, she stops at the top of the stairs and peeks around the corner, waiting for me to catch up, so I can give her head scritches…never fails to make me smile.
So what makes ya’ll grin? 
Seeing a dog riding in a car with his/her head out the window - they always look so darn happy!
Any time my cat will sit on the sofa and watch TV with us, which isn’t very often. When she works herself around to it, she’ll plunk herself down on my husband’s lap and just griiiiiin and puuuuurrrrrr and be the happiest cat ever. It’s adorable.
Also, watching the way she’ll put up with ANYTHING my husband does to her. I can’t get away with much, handling-wise… but I think he could pick her up by her tail and she’d like it. Extra sweetness points because she’s “my” cat, and he had to give his cats up shortly before we met. So she’s sorta the compensation cat.
The other day I saw a firetruck roaring down the road, sirens blaring, responding to a call. It seems strange now, but it made me happy: good people were going to stop bad things from happening.
The half hour after I get home from work and have the house to myself.
The Geico commercial with the little piggy. Weeeeeeeeeeee.
Sunflowers make me ridiculously happy. I plant them; I photograph them. I put pictures of them up on the wall. I decorate my browser with them.
Some women get old and turn into crazy cat ladies. I think I’m going to be a crazy sunflower lady.
Singing along at the top of my lungs with Dusty Springfield’s “Son of a Preacher Man” in the car by myself with the windows down.
The way nasturtium seeds pop up so quickly and make little lilypad-looking leaves.
Watching a cat wash the top of its own head, when they lick the back of their paws and wipe it over their ears. Also, seeing a cat do something clumsy and then get that “I MEANT to do that!” expression on its face.
Seeing someone suddenly laugh quietly to themselves at something they’re reading in a book.
The smell of a fresh tea bag when I first pull it out of the wrapper.
Balloons.
Feathers, especially if there’s a cat to tease with it.
Casement windows and dutch doors and Craftsman architecture.
Curious George and Madeleine.
My friend’s cat, Sammy, who is a complete Froot Loop and has managed to dig my watch out of my purse so he could carry it around.
My puppy, Lil Miss Rowdy, who wiggles so hard when she’s happy that she turns into a parenthesis and walks sideways.
Yellow lab?
Saturday afternoons, when I kick back with a cup of coffee, tea, or cocoa, and watch a movie.
New sheets. I just got another set of Egyptian cotton ones and I smile and sigh happily every night when I get in bed.
My almost 2 year old son waving at the bath water as it drains and saying, “Bye, bye water.”
Damn…I was gonna say that.
Bonus joy: We went to a bar to watch a football game a couple of weeks ago. This commercial came on, and let me tell you something…an entire bar, packed with patrons, all of whom are doing their best Maxwell impression at the same time? Awesome.
My almost 2-year-old daughter running into my bedroom this morning after her dad got her out of bed. I was in bed, and she ran up to me, then threw her arms up into the air and said “Taaa-daaa!” as if she made some grand entrance.
Then she climbed up into bed and gave me a big hug.
When my Russian Blue, Sonata (aka “Fred”) gets so happy to see me that she raises up on her hind legs and walks toward me that way so I’ll pet her. She looks so happy and cheerful it never fails to make me smile.
Also, waking up in the wee hours in the winter all cold because I’ve tossed the covers off (we don’t keep much heat on in the house because we like it that way) and then snuggling back under three layers of covers (and at least one layer of cat) and feeling myself getting all warm and toasty again.
My dog is a Weimeraner, Slovakian pointer mix. She looks like a Weimer with a scraggly beard. When I get home she shows her teeth like she is grinning at me, and her beard hair shoots everywhichway. Its hilarious and makes me laugh every time. I’ve seen little dogs do this before. She is the first big one I’ve seen with this behavior.
I always wondered if this was natural, or if they are copying us smiling at them.
I’m odd, but I really love listening to the announcer calling out the train departure times and routes at railway stations.
“The 8.42 to Y will depart from platform 1. Calling at x, y, z etc.”
Lovely.
I did that one this morning. It was nice.
When the cats climb into my lap to sleep. Awww.
The triumphant feeling of being the one who gets to pull the ding-ding-bell on the bus when your stop is coming up!
You’ve got to time it just right… Not too early… :: DING!:: I win! 