Success

At one point in my life I thought in order to be successful you had to have a big house, expensive car, expensive clothes & shoes, a giant diamond ring etc. Now that I am more mature in my thoughts and way of living, I realize that those things really don't measure success at all (in my opinion).  A long time ago one of my best friends, Danielle, told me that she thought "to be successful means that you are happy". At the time I thought "nonsense, happiness doesn't buy anything". Now that I am older and wiser I think back to that time and conversation (about 8 years ago). Now I know that Danielle was so right, to be successful in life is to be happy. So many people in this world walk around everyday so miserable about what their life has become. If you aren't happy in life then really what is the point? We have the power to change the direction our lives have taken us and steer toward happiness. I can say with confidence that I am happy with my life. I do things that I know make me happy and avoid doing things that don't make me happy. Here is a list of 10 things that make me happy, I would love to hear what makes everyone else happy.

1.Hearing my kids laugh
2. Going on outings with Ry, Eo, and Em
3. Drinking coffee. To make me extra happy once in a while I will dunk an old fashioned donut in there.
4. Cooking and food
5. Yoga
6. Doing crafts and puzzles
7. Talking to my sister 10 sometimes 20 times a day
8. Learning about new things
9. Watching Ryan and Eoin hang out together
10. Sleeping (which doesn't happen much lately)
11. Family

My oh my things have changed. Go back 8 years to when the conversation took place and the list would include:

1. Going to Tarpon Bend on Mondays
2. Going to Tavern 213 on Tuesdays
3. Going to Tiki Bar on Wed.
4. Going to Poorhouse on Thursday
5. Going to Downtown on Friday and Saturday
6. Watching Sex and the City episodes with Danielle, Kelly and Jerry on Sunday
7. Summer on the lake
8. Riding bikes to the beach
9. Sleeping in until 2 or 3
10. Talking about what happened the night before


I want to hear everyone else's list!