I’m big on enjoying the little things in life. I believe that our attitudes determine our direction, and if we cultivate feelings of gratitude and appreciating the great things in our life, both big and small, it can only lead to a happier heart and soul.
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In the spirit of this, today I want to talk about some of the little things that have been making my happy lately. Here we go!
Puppy snuggles – When I work in my home office, sometimes my dog comes and lays under my desk. Not only does she keep my feet nice and warm, but every time I look down at her, she’s looking up at me like this:
I picture her saying things in a little kid voice like, “Hey mom! How’s work going? When are we going to go on a walk?”
I just love my dingo.
Chocolate chips in my pancake batter – As if I haven’t already mentioned it approximately 2,582 times on this blog, I love pancakes. I start off with this healthy batter mix, and then I add different toppings to it. Often these toppings will include chocolate chips. I put a few in the batter itself, and a few on top when I flip my flapjacks over. Yesterday I had banana protein pancakes topped with dark chocolate chips, strawberries and a drizzle of honey:
Yummmm.
Cleaning my desktop up – Between my PR work, blogging, and writing, my computer and I have a very close relationship. We spend many hours together, and I often will save things on my desktop for easy access. Over time, my desktop gets out of control with so many files and images saved on it. It sounds like such a small thing, but when I finally take the time to clean up the files and put everything in the right folder, it’s so nice. I just feel more organized.
A clean house – Speaking of feeling organized…I don’t actually enjoy the cleaning part itself, but once I have an organized, clean house, it’s just a content feeling. During the week things usually get a little messy, so usually sometime on Sundays, I tend to spend some time getting everything clean and tidy.
My rose bushes – I’ve made a few mentions of my rose bushes on the blog before, because they are the epitome of the little things making me happy. When I’m in my backyard doing yoga, playing with Harley, or taking care of things, when I look at my bright rose bushes I think beautiful! They’re constantly blooming, and what I love most is that they sometimes come out of nowhere. One day I’ll go outside, and this whole new big rose is there looking vibrant and pretty. And they smell great!
My new Nike workout capris – Getting a couple new workout pieces always makes me excited, especially since I’m in workout clothes the majority of the time. Recently I bought these Nike capris:
Goddess Squat pose play
I wore them all day yesterday, and they’re definitely a new favorite of mine! They’re super comfy, they stayed perfectly in place during my workouts, and I’m diggin’ the funky print on them. I’m into fun colors and patterns on my workout pants these days!
Post-workout stretching wearing my new pants!
Finding good chocolate – I must be in a chocolate kind of mood for it to make the list twice! But Bark Thins dark chocolate mint snacking chocolate = heaven.
I recently nabbed this bag at my natural foods store. Let’s just say that I’ve quickly become a fan, and I love that it’s non-GMO certified and uses fair trade ingredients. I kept eating a piece at a time when I needed a little something sweet, and I ran out the other day. I think I need to get another bag stat!
My new orchid plant – For Valentine’s Day, my hubby gave me a white orchid. I’ve told him before that orchids remind me of my grandma, and earlier in the week I had mentioned missing her, so he thought to get me a new orchid plant.
Don’t get me wrong, while roses or other more traditional V Day flowers are always nice too, it was a surprise to get a different and sentimental flower for the occasion. Every time I look at it, I’m reminded of both my thoughtful husband and my late grandma.
Tell me… What little things are making you happy lately?
PS – Did you know that I do health coaching? Check out my coaching page for more information.
Like you, I tend to enjoy all those little things life surprises me with. Obviously I am not always able to do so. What’s my most recent “happy little thing”? Sun I wake up almost every day with since I moved back to Italy. I can say that after quite a few years spent in Northern Europe a sunny day has become that powerful event that can positively affect my mood.
Oooh nice! I love the sunshine and enjoy it as much as I can. Sun can definitely brighten your mood!
I love your new Nike capris!!!
I’m with you about cleaning/organizing – sometimes it isn’t my favorite thing to do but I love how things look after!!
Right now I’m happy that tomorrow my calendar only has one event on it – this week has been a bit much so I will enjoy a breather tomorrow to get caught up (and maybe do some cleaning!!).
Sometimes it is SO NICE to not have much on the calendar for the day. Hope that you enjoyed it!
Love that picture of Harley. Wish you were closer. I’d use you as our ‘dog consultant.’ Good reminder about the little things, Nicole!
Thanks for stopping by, Robin!
Your roses are beautiful and Harley is the cutest! Also, I am living vicariously through you and that sunshine in your backyard. I cannot wait for those warm spring days to start!
Little things that are making me happy right now…. the days starting to get longer and not seeing darkness at 4 pm!, lazy weekends, good workouts that remind me of the outdoor workouts that I’m impatiently awaiting in the spring 😉
I’m LOVING the sun staying out longer too! I can’t wait to start eating dinner in my backyard (not in complete darkness!).
Those bark thins get me EVERY TIME! SO GOOD. I now have the need to make pancakes.
YESSSS. I need to get more of them stat!
Dog snuggles are seriously the best, I’ve been getting a little in lately and it makes me so happy! 🙂 love your new yoga pants too btw!
Thanks, Marielle! Besides hanging under my desk, Harley isn’t the biggest snuggler, so I definitely enjoy the times when she is cuddling with me there… else wise, I’m trying to cuddle with her and she’s looking at me like, “Umm go away woman!”
Such a cute pup! Mine are always hanging around when I’m trying to work too, they’re so needy! And I’m LOVING your Nike capris as well!
I feel like I have been reading alot of posts like this lately! Its great to pause and recognize the little things that make us happy. Chocolate chip pancakes sound amazing!