And now for something completely different (at least coming from me)

I’m basically a perky, optimistic person, but like most folks, I like to whine about all the little things that tick me off or make me angry. This Blog, of course, gives me the perfect forum (and there have been plenty of idiots recently begging to be blog fodder), and I’ve subjected y’all to plenty of my rants about this and that. It’s easy to concentrate on the small annoyances of life to the extent we ignore the small things that make us happy.

So here are ten random (and possibly odd) things that make me happy and cause a smile— excluding the obvious (like the sound of Amazing Child’s giggle) and the clichéd (like rainbows and puppies).

1. Halloween Candy. I love to bring home the candy for the Trick or Treaters. (I know, I don’t need the calories, and my mother is probably calculating the amount of money she’s invested in my dental work, but hear me out.) The cute little individual packages bring back memories, but more than anything I love the smell of the Super Bubble Bubble Gum. (Admit it, you know exactly the smell I’m talking about. Nothing else smells quite like it.) That’s the taste and smell of proper bubble gum—even if it sticks to my fillings and has a sugar content that has put many a dentist’s child through college. Super Bubble is a fabulous treat (at least until it turns into that flavorless concrete after about four minutes) that I only indulge a couple of times a year.

2.) T-Ball. Now, we all know I’m not the sporty type, but even I love to watch kids play T-Ball. First Base is making a daisy chain while the center fielder braids the left fielder’s hair. So what if the batter runs the bases in the wrong direction? One good T-Ball game will have you practically peeing in your pants from laughter. And the kids have such a good time—win or lose.

3.) Hot Showers—especially on cold days. I don’t normally have time for long soaks in the tub, but a hot shower is the next best thing. Something about the shower clears my head—anything from plot problems to world peace can be solved when I’m in the shower. Once I’m warm all the way through and squeaky clean from head to toe, I feel like I can conquer the world.

4.) Rainy days when I don’t have to go anywhere. Rainy days beg to be spent under the duvet. Naps, book reading, maybe a snuggle with DG and AC— I love a day when I don’t have to get up and go anywhere. And the sound of the rain is unbelievably relaxing.

5.) Fluffy socks. I will wear shoes designed by sadists destined cripple me as long as they are cute and fabulous, but when I’m home I want warm, soft, fluffy socks. I’m cursed with cold toes, so the warmer the socks the better, but they must also be soft and fluffy. I don’t care if they are God-awful ugly as long as they warm my tootsies and feel good on my feet. God Bless the fluffy sock makers.

6.) Mundane things made pretty. Nobody likes scrubbing the bathtub, but doing it while wearing lipstick-red gloves with a spotted faux-leopard trim make it much more bearable. Storage containers in rainbow colors. Paperclip holders that look like frogs. A child-sized computer mouse painted to look like a lady bug. The smallest things can make a difference—including taking something small and normally ignorable and making it smile-worthy.

7.) The smell of my mom’s perfume. Instant comfort. Even if I smell it on another woman, it brings a smile to my heart and a feeling of security. Mom left a sweater at my house one day; I put it on and snuggled into a warm, mom-smelling hug. Excellent mental health moment.

8.) Baby shoes. First it’s the ridiculousness of the item—why on earth do babies need shoes? It’s not like they’re walking anywhere, and keeping shoes on a baby’s feet is an exercise in futility. (Ask Counselor Shelley—we decided the actual job of a Godmother is to keep up with the baby’s shoes during the christening.) But they’re so darn cute. You can’t help but oooh and ahhh over the things—even if they do cover the truly adorable thing: baby toes.

9) Wearing sweaters (or t-shirts) belonging to the Darling Geek. That line in Keith Urban’s song “Take your cat and leave my sweater,” is immediately understandable by both sexes. Every woman’s husband (or boyfriend) has an item of clothing that ends up on his beloved’s body on a regular basis. It’s a double standard—a woman is expected to wear clothes belonging to her man, but if the man raids her closet, it’s grounds for divorce or serious counseling. DG has two sweaters that routinely smell like my perfume, but they look cute on me, darn it. But the comfort (and fashion) aspect aside, what really makes me smile is that DG doesn’t mind when his clothes end up on me. That’s love.

10.) Reading comments on the blog. No, that’s not a shameless ploy to get lurkers to comment. Clicking over to the blog and finding someone has responded to my entry always makes me smile. I’m a writer with only this Blog as my forum; I love knowing I’ve made a connection with someone by something I’ve written—even if it’s over something silly like a common love of baby toes.

So, there are ten admittedly odd things that make me happy. What odd thing makes you happy and puts a smile on your face for no good reason?

The Not-So-Problematic-Today Child

P.S. And a Happy Halloween to all. Cross your fingers that it doesn't rain tonight or else I'll have a very grumpy AC on my hands.