Happiness. That’s a good way to kickstart this blog, isn’t it? We all want to be happy and live happy lives. Ah, the little simple things that made us burst of joy back when we were kids. Remember? But how about now? What makes you happy? I have a vague idea, but I haven’t made a happiness list before. I’m excited to find out.

Happiness is such a wide term, though, so I’ll narrow it down to ‘things I can choose to do and that I enjoy doing during the Covid-19 pandemic, where we’re mostly at home and life is very different from what it used to be.

Here are 10 things that make me happy, in random order:

1. Going for walks

I’ve gone for many walks nearby the last months, because walks make me really happy. (Although going for walks with a mask on is hot!)

I don’t walk for exercise, but for nature. I love me some blue skies and greenery. It revives me, and it forces me to slow down and really take a look at what is around me. I take note of the shape of the leaves, the sounds of birds chirping, the tall majestic trees…

Oh, and the anticipation of running into monkeys or wild boars. That’s my least favorite part of the walk. haha.

But, truly, these walks have been a great blessing to me. It’s like the Bible comes alive. For instance, the blue skies remind me of His grandeur, grace and supply. All the greenery around me reminds me of His life bursting forth. The sound of a rooster’s crow nearby, brings Peter’s denial of Jesus to remembrance, and therefore also His restoration. Etc.

So, to be honest, it might not be the walk in itself that brings me such happiness, but that I get to be still in God’s presence. It’s a time of relationship with my Daddy God.

2. Learning something new

The process of learning is very exciting to me and makes me happy indeed. I love discovering new things, and then sharing what I learn with others. During this time my family is the beneficiary of all my new discoveries, because I’ll share with them during our meals. I’d like to believe that they feel very blessed, haha.

For instance, due to the course of my work, I’m learning about grief these days. Something new that I learned is that typically, men who grieve feel it in their legs, so they’ll often rub their thighs. Going for walks and runs is a common way for men to deal with grief. Women, on the other hand, feel grief in their throat, and they’ll touch their neck or collarbone area. They typically find it difficult to speak, because it feels like there’s a lump in the throat. Isn’t that interesting? If you’re interested, you can watch the interview here.

Because I’m wired this way, watching a documentary with my hubby on a date night is pure joy to me. haha. It’s actually very romantic.

3. Daily exercise

I never thought I’d hear myself say this, but daily exercise makes me happy! At least my daily swimming does. My hubby introduced me to the idea of swimming in the morning recently. We’re blessed to have a pool near our place, but I have not made use of that at all, until now. I regret that, because I’m enjoying it so much. I swim 30 minutes every day these days. The swim itself makes me happy, because it’s very calming, and because I listen to a podcast or sermon while swimming. So it’s a double win for me: I get exercise and I also learn something new at the same time! Oh, and I’m amazed by how I feel after the swim; I feel muscles I didn’t even know I had, and I feel fit.

4. Going on adventure

I love it when my hubby brings me on adventure. He did that recently. On our wedding anniversary he brought me kayaking. Wow. The two of us together at sea, away from the hustle of city-life. It felt like we were out travelling somewhere exotic, although we were just 40 minutes drive from home. We paddled in the mild breeze, breathing in the smell of sea weed, looking out for alligators and ships passing by… What a way and day to fall in love all over again.

Sometimes I go on adventure all by myself, too. I get a thrill by trying out a new trail, taking the MRT to somewhere I’ve never been, visiting a new cafe… It makes me feel very vulnerable, because I’m alone and I’ve never done it before. But the sense of accomplishment afterwards gives me a high. It’s like, “Yay, I did it!” It feels like I’m expanding my world and not settling for the comfort of the familiar.

I believe the reason this makes me so happy, is because it makes me feel like a little child in great need of her Daddy God. I’ll chit chat with Him on our adventures. He’s always near and faithful.

5. Lays potato chips

This one is a bit random, but Lay potato chips makes me happy. The salt, the crisp, the way it melts in my mouth. Yummmm. It makes the time spent in a book or watching a movie all the more sweet – or savory. haha

It makes me feel blessed, grateful and rewarded. The voice in my head is like, “Oh, is this for me? Thank you so much! What a treat!” That’s exactly what it is, a treat. And my heart melts a little. I munch slowly, and I try not to eat the whole bag. haha

6. Being near hubby (and the kids)

To be honest, I simply love being wherever my hubby is. At least most of the time. There’s something uplifting just being in his presence – even when we’re both doing separate things and not conversing with each other. I enjoy deep heart to heart conversations, of course, but not all the time. I love doing my own thing, but just having him around. It just feels good being together, being in the same house. We just belong together, and life is so much richer with him in it.

This is not to imply that we have no challenges ever, because we do. We are two very different people, and we are both a bit stubborn and strong-minded in our own way. We give each other lots of space. And we love being together.

This season has been a family season. That makes me happy. It’s very precious to have so much quality time with them.

7. Taking pictures

I take a lot of pictures. A LOT. There’s magic in capturing the moment. Taking pictures is my way of being present, embracing life, noticing things, feeding my curiosity, loving people by capturing special moments in their life…

Some people say that we should just enjoy the moment and not enjoy it through a camera. But personally, I enjoy it even more when I can take a photo or video of it. It makes me very happy.

I’m thinking I should learn the art of taking photos, since I enjoy it so much. For now, it’s just a hobby, and I use my phone.

8. Solving problems

A appreciate problems, because I like to solve them. It’s like there’s a little detective in me who loves to solve mysteries. But even more, I enjoy envisioning a solution – and how to prevent such a problem from occurring in the first place.

This hobby of mine goes really well with my love for going for walks. While walking, I will talk to the Lord about gaps that I see (at least those that are in my sphere of influence), and He’ll show me solutions.

For instance, during this Covid season when all of us have been at home all the time, there are lots of meals that need to be prepared. The problem was: I may end up having to do all the cooking! And I didn’t want that, because there are lots of other things I also enjoy doing. How could this problem be solved? And that’s when the Lord gave me a wonderful idea; Let everyone in the family take turns cooking. Wow. And the idea became a reality. Problem fixed, and we all benefit in so many ways.

9. Feeding on the word

George Muller is known for this wonderful quote:

“The first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day is to have my soul happy in the Lord.”
― George Mueller

For me, this looks like reading the Word on a daily basis. (I follow a Bible-plan.) Actually, I don’t read for the sake of reading, but to meet with the Lord Jesus. I look for Him on the pages I’m reading, because I always want to get to know Him more. He is my joy and happiness, above all else. And meeting with Him in the Word makes me happy.

But I want to add that this happiness is not necessarily a feeling. Sometimes I feel something when I read, but most of the time I feel nothing. The happiness is more a knowing, a beholding Him, a revelation of what He has done for me. And I need to be reminded of that every day.

10. Encouraging someone

This season has been so different from what we’re used to. I haven’t met with people outside of family for months! So exactly how can I be a blessing to others?

It’s in the little things. I have yet to get someone a surprise delivery, because getting gifts is a great weakness of mine. It’s not that I don’t want to get people gifts, it’s just that I have no idea what to get. This might be the next problem I get to solve. haha .

Instead of a delivery, I’ve sent words via a text when I’ve been reminded to do so. And that makes me very happy. Especially when it turns out that it was the right words at the right time, and that it made them feel very loved by the Lord Himself.

And by the way, it’s always the right time to send someone an encouragement.

This Happy-List makes me happy

Wow, just making this list makes me very happy! I’ve become more aware of what makes me happy. And there are lots of benefits to that. I’ll share more on that next time.

By the way, did you notice that I only focused on the things that I can “control”? At almost any given time, I can choose to do these things and end up having a happy day.

There are LOTS of other things that make me happy, of course. Like a sunny day, getting surprise deliveries, receiving gifts, getting an encouragement etc, but I can’t control those things, so I didn’t add those here.

Now it’s your turn. What are 10 things that make you happy?