# What thing in your life are you happiest about right now, at the beginning of 2009? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 5, 2009, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-thing-in-your-life-are-you-happiest-about-right-now-at-the-beginning-of-2009/479958 "2009-01-05T17:21:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-thing-in-your-life-are-you-happiest-about-right-now-at-the-beginning-of-2009/479958/41 "2009-01-06T10:29:03Z")
Gainful employment and joining the gym. Woohoo! ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-thing-in-your-life-are-you-happiest-about-right-now-at-the-beginning-of-2009/479958/42 "2009-01-06T13:41:27Z")
After two years of talking about it - after half of year of “putting it into motion” we finally went to the lawyer’s office yesterday and started our business. But the end of the month I should be gainfully employed. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-thing-in-your-life-are-you-happiest-about-right-now-at-the-beginning-of-2009/479958/43 "2009-01-06T14:45:57Z")
-My youngest of 3 kids just accepted enrollment in a decent program at a decent college, so I feel we’ve got them off to a good start. (Now the 3 sets of tuition payments is another matter!) -We got one new puppy last March, and another in November. They are getting along famously, and we look forward to enjoying them for the next decade or so. -We have started interviewing real estate agents about selling our house and moving out of his town we have not especially felt a good fit for some time. The prospect of such a change is exciting. Of course, if the house doesn’t sell, our mood may change. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-thing-in-your-life-are-you-happiest-about-right-now-at-the-beginning-of-2009/479958/44 "2009-01-06T14:53:18Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > -My youngest of 3 kids just accepted enrollment in a decent program at a decent college, so I feel we’ve got them off to a good start. (Now the 3 sets of tuition payments is another matter!) > -We got one new puppy last March, and another in November. They are getting along famously, and we look forward to enjoying them for the next decade or so. > -We have started interviewing real estate agents about selling our house and moving out of his town we have not especially felt a good fit for some time. The prospect of such a change is exciting. Of course, if the house doesn’t sell, our mood may change. Glad to hear things are looking up for you, **Dins.** Sounds like you and the Mrs. are seeing eye-to-eye on things. That’s always good news.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-thing-in-your-life-are-you-happiest-about-right-now-at-the-beginning-of-2009/479958/45 "2009-01-06T14:56:11Z")
> [@Kalhoun](#): > > Glad to hear things are looking up for you, **Dins.** Sounds like you and the Mrs. are seeing eye-to-eye on things. That’s always good news.🙂 Yeah - well, the year is a whopping 6 days old yet… 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-thing-in-your-life-are-you-happiest-about-right-now-at-the-beginning-of-2009/479958/46 "2009-01-06T15:00:22Z")
I’m living with the boyfriend and it’s been going really well. I’ve been having fewer depression-related meltdowns, and he’s been just incredibly supportive and not taking any of my mood swings personally. And he thinks I’m sexy in my penguin pj pants and flannel shirt. And what’s more, I _believe_ him when he says it! I really am crazy in love here. We’ve got something wonderful here and I’m glad to be starting the year on a high like this. Aside: I was driving home on New Years Eve, and I wasn’t going to make it home before midnight came around (I was working the evening shift at the lab). I decided that whatever song was playing on my mp3 player when midnight hit would be my song for the year. Would shape what this year will be. What did I get? Led Zepplin’s “Whole Lotta Love”. When I told the man, he said “I can definitely work with that.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-thing-in-your-life-are-you-happiest-about-right-now-at-the-beginning-of-2009/479958/47 "2009-01-06T15:04:06Z")
got a job. got a house. got a new crew of cats. my new powerball group won 9 dollars on saturday’s drawing. so far so good, touch wood. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-thing-in-your-life-are-you-happiest-about-right-now-at-the-beginning-of-2009/479958/48 "2009-01-06T15:08:22Z")
Good on ya, **neutron star**! That’s great news. Hope your romance continues and deepens! I’ve got a job I like that lets me help people and fix the world, a little bit at least, every day. I have a smart, loving, helpful, beautiful wife and three great sons. My health is pretty good. Every day I can check out the Dope and learn something, get into an argument, offer my two cents, or explore Middle-earth in a game thread. On Friday I’ll be seeing Jerry Seinfeld do standup. And two weeks from today I’m getting a new President. I’m blessed. Life is good. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-thing-in-your-life-are-you-happiest-about-right-now-at-the-beginning-of-2009/479958/49 "2009-01-06T15:09:56Z")
Happiest about my relationship with my boyfriend, and the prospect of _finally_ being able to take a trip somewhere together soon, just the two of us (Turkey is a strong contender). Happy about still being employed, and about his having landed a solid permanent job that has as good a chance as any, maybe better than most, of weathering this recession. Happy about having moved in May back to the town where I grew up, near a bunch of my oldest and dearest friends. Happy at the prospect that at least one good thing might come out of the nosediving real estate market - prices might come down enough that, with both of us employed, we should be able to sock away a bunch of cash and buy a place one of these days. But definitely #1 takes the cake. And if I had penguin PJs, he’d probably think I looked sexy in them. (I don’t, but the new flannel ones - with flowers - should show up in the mail today. And I’m happy about that, too.) ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-thing-in-your-life-are-you-happiest-about-right-now-at-the-beginning-of-2009/479958/50 "2009-01-06T15:26:24Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Yeah - well, the year is a whopping 6 days old yet… 😛 Yeah, but you made _plans_ and _emotional investments!_ Hey…it’s a start. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-thing-in-your-life-are-you-happiest-about-right-now-at-the-beginning-of-2009/479958/51 "2009-01-06T16:25:14Z")
Employment, health insurance, a husband who loves me and even tolerates me, and two adorable little doggies. ---
**Author:** ![Jodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@Jodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodi)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-thing-in-your-life-are-you-happiest-about-right-now-at-the-beginning-of-2009/479958/52 "2009-01-06T17:38:24Z")
I have a job that is awesome – great people to work with, good salary, interesting, fulfilling. I actually feel like I can’t be as enthusiastic as I’d like about it with people IRL, because I know many others are not nearly so fortunate in this economy, and I don’t want to sound obnoxious or smug. But I love this job even more than I hated the last one – which was a lot – and it’s that contrast that makes me grateful every day. My mom has completed her treatment for breast cancer (second occurrence) and everyone in my family is now in good health (knock wood). Since a year ago we were not at all certain she would survive, that is an enormous blessing. Actually, my life is ticking along so well in all respects at this stage that my goal for 2009 is to try to find someone who might be interested in sharing it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-thing-in-your-life-are-you-happiest-about-right-now-at-the-beginning-of-2009/479958/53 "2009-01-06T18:31:26Z")
We have paint again so I can work on waterproofing the basement walls. I will beat the high water flooding in this spring. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-thing-in-your-life-are-you-happiest-about-right-now-at-the-beginning-of-2009/479958/54 "2009-01-06T18:45:15Z")
I’ve returned to college at the age of 29, and this past semester had a 3.71, which is almost 1.5 higher than my GPA in any semester at my first go-around at school. That feels pretty awesome. ---
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-thing-in-your-life-are-you-happiest-about-right-now-at-the-beginning-of-2009/479958/55 "2009-01-06T18:53:50Z")
> [@Jodi](#): > > I have a job that is awesome – great people to work with, good salary, interesting, fulfilling. I’m glad to hear that your life is going so well, but[is this still valid](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=10440596&postcount=1)? ---
**Author:** ![Jodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@Jodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodi)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-thing-in-your-life-are-you-happiest-about-right-now-at-the-beginning-of-2009/479958/56 "2009-01-06T22:56:16Z")
> [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](#): > > I’m glad to hear that your life is going so well, but[is this still valid](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=10440596&postcount=1)? Ha! No, it isn’t, actually. My employer has been keeping me so busy with things that are NOT practicing law that we have mutually agreed to defer sitting for the exam, since I don’t have to be admitted here to do my job. (I am already admitted in three other states.) I’m hopeful the deferral will be “forever” but we’ll see; I’ll revisit the issue in a couple of months. I decided not to start a separate “Nevermind!” thread as it seemed a little too self-involved, but I do appreciate you taking me at my word and holding me to it, as I requested. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-thing-in-your-life-are-you-happiest-about-right-now-at-the-beginning-of-2009/479958/57 "2009-01-07T03:59:33Z")
Welcome back, Jodi. ---
**Author:** ![CAT\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@CAT\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CAT_1)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-thing-in-your-life-are-you-happiest-about-right-now-at-the-beginning-of-2009/479958/58 "2009-01-07T04:12:11Z")
My five year old son of course. He is just the sweetest boy, and seems to love me more than anyone ever has. Every now and then out of the blue he stop running around for 2 seconds to peek at me and say, “I love you mom”, for no reason. It melts my heart. I just got done putting him to bed a little while ago. There is nothing better than a snuggle and a book with my boy. 😃 And even though he is a part of why my house is so messy\*, I wouldn’t change a thing about him. \*See other post about what I am most unhappy about. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-thing-in-your-life-are-you-happiest-about-right-now-at-the-beginning-of-2009/479958/59 "2009-01-07T04:20:32Z")
It’s hard as hell, but I am still happy to be in my grad program. I spent years in unfulfilling monotonous office jobs, trying to figure out what I’d rather be doing. When I figured it out, I realized it was going to take some serious sacrifice, and started in on it. I was twenty-five at the time. I’m now thirty, but I went from a dead end job that a trained gorilla could do to being a student in one of the top graduate programs in my field. It’s a _lot_ of work, but I’m approximately a million times happier than I was back then. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-thing-in-your-life-are-you-happiest-about-right-now-at-the-beginning-of-2009/479958/60 "2009-01-07T04:28:52Z")
> [@CAT\_1](#): > > My five year old son of course. He is just the sweetest boy, and seems to love me more than anyone ever has. Every now and then out of the blue he stop running around for 2 seconds to peek at me and say, “I love you mom”, for no reason. It melts my heart. I just got done putting him to bed a little while ago. There is nothing better than a snuggle and a book with my boy. 😃 Aw, that’s cute as hell. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-thing-in-your-life-are-you-happiest-about-right-now-at-the-beginning-of-2009/479958.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-thing-in-your-life-are-you-happiest-about-right-now-at-the-beginning-of-2009/479958.md?page=4)