Happiness 101 Award

I got the Happy Blog award from May All the Seasons Be Sweet to Thee and Curious Cat!

I've had a terrible time narrowing this down to 10. I've thought & thunk until I finally just generalized the whole thing.

So here are 10 of the hundreds of things in which I find happiness:

1. BOOKS

I have to include books because they have given me joy for as long as I can remember. Audio books, Used Books, New books, Hardbacks, Paperbacks, Picture books, Cookbooks. Just Books.

But the reason I like books so much is because of the

2. WORDS

that weave such lovely tones, scenery, feelings, and images and build entire cities and nations in my mind until I think,

so strange I can't recall the actual words but only all that they produced,

and the

3. STORIES

that were told.

If we did not have stories, what would we have, really? Stories create, console, motivate, encourage, inspire, teach, and change us.... even at times they anger, discourage, or shame us. And they teach us about the world, which I feel overwhelmed by the vastness of-- that I could explore, read, see and learn 24/7 and still have more to explore, read, see and learn. Which is one reason I like

4. OTHERS

so much. We can teach each other so many things. We need each other's stories and presence in our lives. "(Wo)Man" was not made to live alone!" And "(wo)man" was made to enjoy

5. EXERCISE

Am I the only one who feels high when exercising? Of course not! Personally, I just don't feel right unless I exercise everyday, preferably outside (unless it's cold because the cold does not make me happy). The fact that I love exercise is quite lucky for me considering how much I like

6. COOKING

but of the cooking, more than anything, and what first drew me to cooking was the

7. FRESH PRODUCE

And all the color that collects on the chopping block and the smells and juices. I especially love fresh spinach. We eat if almost everyday, and even Husband says he can tell when he doesn't eat his spinach now. All those nutrients energize us so we can

8. RESPOND

to need wherever need may be. I believe we are here to serve. I believe not in a fru-fru God who simply blesses and loves us with cupcakes and daisies, but a God who calls us to work, give, grow, learn, obey, seek and respond to calls for need and service...

even if it's just a handwritten note or text message here and there, or simply to produce beauty... or as some would call it

9. ART

whether it be through the lens of camera, the ink of a pen, the stroke of a paintbrush, the click of a mouse, the strings of a violin, or a knife whittling wood, or the hum of a sewing machine-- any and all of these and more because all art is an expression of something otherwise inexpressible,

just like

10. CHILDREN

who are ever-constant reminders of processes, spontaneity, passion, innocence, complexity, hope, individuality and need. Adults hide so often and so well from truth, but children can often keep us in touch with the needs of the whole world.

And two that are so obvious I didn't even list them:

Husband and all ye bloggers!

Because I find ALL of these things and SO MUCH MORE through blogland!

This award is being passed on to:

Birds' Eye View a new friend who writes profound, poetic prose and always awakens me spiritually with her posts.

The Garden Bell another new friend whose quirky, fun, posts always get my brain going in the mornings. I love her energetic, creative blogging style and seeing what craftiness she's up to.

Yada Yadah who teaches me to look at things through different lenses and always offers both humor and spiritual insights in the process.

Ramblings of a Duchess in Waiting my dear friend since high school who uses her blog for thoughts, poetry, rants, and to document what she's up to while traveling the word and working on her PhD in creative writing.

Riverdaze a talented writer and photographer who shares his peaceful, nature-filled walks along the Ohio River banks.

Et Lille Oejeblik who writes about family life in Tel Aviv and often has lovely photos of visits from other places in the world, such as Denmark. I love seeing her photography and flea market finds as well.

Dewin's Blog a friend from our year living at the beach who is working on her photography and life skills simultaneously and intertwines the two for each post.

4-Bushel Farm who always gets me thinking in a different direction and challenges me to improve.

And I just have to give it back to the two ladies who gave it to me because they have been such fun to get to know on the web:

May all the Seasons be Sweet to Thee whose blog leaves me with only positive thoughts, beautiful images, tempting recipes, and creative ideas.

Curious Cat who always makes me laugh-- even in her "down" posts. She has a gift for manipulating words, a witty mind, and a fun personality while retaining the important elements of depth and quality.

Just list ten things that make you happy and pass the award on to ten others!