Changing into warm dry clothes and having a mug of hot chocolate after shoveling the snow off the walk
Warm towels after a shower
Playing in the cool rain on a steamy hot day
Having a clean two year old curl up on your lap and hug you
Putting up a set of flat-pack pine bunk beds and watching my sons climb aboard and try it out, new bedding and all.
When the meds kick in and the poison ivy stops itching – oh, what a relief it is.
Naked spoons. Not the foreplay kind, just friendly cuddling.
Even better, the first night of vacation when you’re super tired and want nothing more to fall asleep in that big comfy hotel bed, and being so excited for sleep that you can’t fall asleep.
For sex acts, looking at a seriously nipping nightgown and running your hands all over it.
Mailing the last car payment.
When someone asks you to do they just thought of, and you’ve anticipated the need and already done it. Whether it’s for a boss or family member, it’s a great feeling.
A freshly-bathed dog, eyes already half-closed, asking very politely to crawl up into your lap (she’s always polite, and she’ll climb into anyone’s lap; but only sometimes is she freshly-bathed . :))
I remember that. It was great.
Being woken up by kitty massages. He is a pain in the ass but sometimes he does that so he gets to stay.
Taking off your ski boots in the lodge and putting your feet up on the hearth in front of the fire, and feeling the tinglyness as the bone-chilling cold evaporates away and the warmth from the fire permeates your body from your feet on upward.
Followed by a BJ.
Revenge.
Rubbing something soft against my face right after a shave.
Putting on a wool hat after shaving my head.
Crushing your enemies, seeing them driven before you, and hearing the lamentations of their women.
Waking up thinking “Oh God, got to get up and go to work” and then realising that it’s Saturday and you don’t have to do anything except maybe sleep for another hour and a half, have a leisurely breakfast and then maybe climb back into bed with your wife for a bit longer.
Bliss.
Opening the windows on a cold but sunny Sunday afternoon and then taking a nap.
Walking through piles of fallen, rustling leaves on a chilly overcast fall day admiring the autumn foliage and then coming back home, right as daylight begins to give way to the night, to your warm house to enjoy a cup of hot chocolate and a soft, friendly kittycat purring in your lap.
Being the first to make tracks through freshly fallen snow. The crunching sound of snow at your feet is quite satisfying.
The first, fresh serving or portion of any newly opened packaged food item (peanut butter, ice cream, Velveeta cheese, snack chips, etc.)
Super sweet summer corn, eaten raw
Inebriated skinny-dipping on a warm summer night.
Being outside on a clear morning right before dawn.
Along those lines, finishing a hard workout. There could be spurts of great feelings during, but nothing like after.
Yeah, that’s the best. Especially when you do something a lot more hardcore than you’re used to. Relaxing afterward/showering/etc. feels heavenly!
Canoeing at dawn.
Reaching your destination after a long trip.
Sleeping in your own bed again after a long absence.
Coming in from shoveling snow and holding your cold hands under warm running water.
Taking a cold shower on a hot, humid day.
Curling up on the sofa with my head in my boyfriend’s lap while he runs his fingers lightly up and down my shoulder. sigh
Being the first up while camping with my buddies. Sit there watching the dawn, all is quiet except for the birds and the soft hiss of the camp stove as I make myself a cup of cocoa.
Hugging my family.
Cats purring.
Standing alone on a quiet night as snow drifts silently down around me.
Runner’s high.
When my friends and I start laughing until there’s tears in our eyes and we just can’t stop.
Doing the right thing.
Helping someone in need.
From teaching, seeing the lightbulb go on over a student’s head as they say “Ohhhh, now I get it!”
Hot water, good dentishtry, and shoft lavatory paper.
Approximately four seconds after having been in the car, on the road, for three hours, hurtling down the asphalt abyss, screeching into a gas station in the middle of nowhere, ninja-kicking the door down and unleashing a mighty stream into the urinal. Not the sense of relief when you’re done, no, that’s not what I mean. I mean the point, four or five seconds in, when that horrid ache starts to subside and you realize that soon, so so soon, the hurting will stop. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh yes.