Climbing into bed at the end of a long day and lying on my back and letting all the vertebrae flatten out and all the joints relax - aaaaaaahhh.
A few,
When the alarm goes off at 5:45 AM and I realize that it’s Saturday or Sunday and I reach over and shut the alarm off knowing I can go back to sleep until I feel like getting up.
When the weather is nice enough and I’ve been working in the yard all (weekend) day and now it’s early evening. I go back and examine what I’ve accomplished, build a nice fire in my fire pit, pop a beer and sit by the fire, drinking beer, listening to NPR or my music player and surfing the internet on my iPad, under the stars.
I don’t have any pets currently but for many years I’d come home to my cats and dog and they were so, so, happy to see me. I miss that a lot.
I’m really into my screensaver slide shows. I have thousands of images saved to folders by subject that I can add or subtract to the mix depending on what I feel like looking at. On cold winter days I often spend weekend mornings searching for images to add and sometimes I find one that is just so cool! I love that.
My most common meal is what I think of as “bachelor chow”. It starts with cooked ground beef, ground chicken or un-ground chicken. Then I start adding onions, garlic and whatever spices and seasonings I feel like at the moment. Never keep track of what I’ve put in or follow any recipe. Sometimes corn or beans. It always turns out OK but sometimes magic happens and it turns out spectacular. Love that feeling.
My cat is very bonded with me. Her perch is next to the door, so when we come home, she’s waiting there and I can bend over and touch noses with her. Yeah, it’s going to be really tough when her time comes.
Lunchtime. My splurge of the day is a small scoop of ice cream with my lunch. Three minutes in eating it, brain relaxed from not being at work for an hour, and knowing my day is half over.
I find that the older I get, the more I enjoy my brief “escapes” from everyday life.
I workout during lunchtime at work. When I get to our (very small) locker room, I am usually the only one in there. I will sit back against the wall, with my eyes closed, and just relax in silence for a few minutes. I love the fact no one is talking to me, no one is bugging me. Just blissful peace.
My favorite escape:
During the winter I will occasionally go deer hunting on my land. I love sitting up in my tree stand. No one knows I am there. No one is talking to me, bugging me, or yelling at me. The tree gently sways back and forth. And after about a half an hour the woods comes alive… birds flying around, squirrels jumping from tree to tree, and the occasional raccoon will wander by. I really don’t even care if I see a deer. It’s a beautiful experience as-is.
I love seeing my kids when I get home, but there is nothing quite like seeing a Golden Retriever just about lose his mind because he thinks you’re the best thing ever.
When my daughter gets off that bus at 4:38. It’s silly, but I just breathe a sigh of relief when I know she’s home safe. I am alone all day long working but when she gets here that means it’s time to stop working and get dinner ready, almost time to eat, and I get my daily school adventure stories and hugs.
I feel like I’m that wagging dog watching out the window. 
I love when I wake up in the morning and remember I’m retired and lay there for 10 minutes knowing I don’t have to get up yet unless I want to.
That’s very sweet. Please don’t say it’s silly (why would you say that?) that you’re relieved when she’s home safe. A lot of stuff can go wrong. I don’t have kids, but I feel that way when I get both my cats in for the night. They made it safely through another day and I’m happy.
Two moments:
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Dinner with my wife. We used to eat dinner quickly. Part of it was that we both worked. But part of it was habit. Then one day we noted that when we dined out, we usually were in the restaurant for at least an hour, eating leisurely and chatting about whatever topic was on our minds.
I thought that if we could create the same atmosphere, perhaps we could also enjoy our dinners at home in the same manner. I now prepare the meals and also the setting. We eat by candlelight with background music at a table that has been set as it would be in a good restaurant.
For whatever reason it works. Our at home dinners are now leisurely affairs that are a highlight of our day. -
In the movie *Scent of a Woman * the Al Pacino character, when asked what’s kept him going, replies, “Just the thought that maybe one day, … I couldI could wake up in the morning and she’d still be there. Smell of her. All funky and warm.”
I have that. It may sound trite but waking up with her next to me is probably the best moment of the day. (The best moment of the night would be falling asleep with her next to me.)
Sitting on the deck with my wife. It’s a nice time to enjoy that first cup of coffee and discuss what’s planned for the day.
Unfortunately winter interferes with that. So we substitute sitting at the kitchen table.
2nd favorite is after we lay down for the night. It’s a good time to talk about our day and how things went
–Picking up my daughter from school/doing homework together. This overlaps as there’s a decent commute. I’m enjoying it now because when I go back to work it’ll (partly) go away.
–Softball practice with my daughter. She is determined to be a better thrower, fielder, hitter, and I’m doing my best to work with her even though I never played baseball/softball. I love how she gets mad and determined when she doesn’t do well by her standards. I love that her improvement is challenging me to be better.
–Saturday morning riding lessons for my daughter. This is something I like because my wife and I are free for a couple hours…
–Cooking family dinner. Something I love to do and can do weeknights only when I’m not working. I always try to make at least one weekend night special, whether it’s chili/stew or a Julia Child extravaganza.
This was a good OP. Made me reflect on all the daily good. I could go on, but I’ll leave it here.
When the cat decides to plop down next to me, and purr his fool head off.
Saturday and Sunday mornings, when we can be lazy and just snuggle in bed for a bit.
Putting on my scrubs in the morning. It means I am confident I am going work today and I can handle what today brings me.
Also me: coming home and thinking “I survived today.”
Returning home at the end of a long day at court and getting a hug and a kiss from my dear wife.
Shaking a martini in my Crate & Barrel shaker, and pouring it into an up-glass, and lifting it in silent tribute to my good friends who have gone beyond. And then that first sip… Ahhhhhh
I do a lot of obstacle workouts. Succeeding at something I had just failed at a few times is glorious. And succeeding at something I’ve failed at for months is pure bliss.
I also love the way my dog greets me when I come home, but that’s already been mentioned, so I figured I’d lead off with something new.
My first swallow of Diet Coke in the morning. My first taste of Pop-Tarts shortly thereafter. My nighttime bath.