😊 🌼 Things That Make Me Happy - The Slow Life Stories - Bedtime Stories for Adults - Cozy Stories for Grownups and All Ages

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00:00:02,020 --> 00:00:06,390
Welcome to the 50th episode of
The Slow Life.

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00:00:06,840 --> 00:00:10,810
Thank you for being here.
Whether you've listened to all

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00:00:10,820 --> 00:00:17,490
50 Cosy stories so far, or this
is your first, or any number in

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00:00:17,500 --> 00:00:24,620
between, you are appreciated.
I'll read this story 2 times to

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00:00:24,630 --> 00:00:29,080
help you zone out or even fall
asleep during the second

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00:00:29,090 --> 00:00:34,320
reading.
This story is called Things That

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00:00:34,330 --> 00:00:39,820
Make Me Happy, and it's about
noticing in every moment,

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00:00:40,090 --> 00:00:44,450
slowing down on purpose, and
delving deeper.

9
00:00:48,210 --> 00:00:53,340
Summer has arrived in date and
for the most part in weather,

10
00:00:54,190 --> 00:00:57,720
I'm happy.
I left the window open overnight

11
00:00:58,010 --> 00:01:03,470
to feel the warm breeze upon
awakening as it cooperates by

12
00:01:03,480 --> 00:01:09,090
filtering through the screen and
brushing over my face and arms.

13
00:01:10,650 --> 00:01:15,200
I turned my head towards my
night stand where I'd set my

14
00:01:15,210 --> 00:01:19,660
journal and pen before.
My eyes felt heavy and ready for

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00:01:19,670 --> 00:01:23,830
sleep.
A good sleep I've had too.

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I know because I'd awoken in the
same position in which I had

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dozed off.
This also makes me happy.

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00:01:33,660 --> 00:01:39,850
After noticing these two things
before even sitting up in bed, I

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00:01:39,860 --> 00:01:43,370
lie here wondering what else
brings me happiness.

20
00:01:44,680 --> 00:01:49,230
This gives me an idea for a fun
project for myself.

21
00:01:50,210 --> 00:01:55,900
I opened my journal to a fresh
page, writing in my neatest hand

22
00:01:55,910 --> 00:02:00,120
across the top 50 things that
make me happy.

23
00:02:01,400 --> 00:02:06,730
I choose 50 because it's a nice
round Number, and it's a high

24
00:02:06,740 --> 00:02:11,470
enough one that instead of
scanning over the day, or even

25
00:02:11,480 --> 00:02:16,350
each moment as a whole, I'll
need to delve deeper into the

26
00:02:16,360 --> 00:02:21,620
noticing.
I give myself an easy beginning

27
00:02:21,670 --> 00:02:27,280
by writing what's already made
me smile, the warm breeze on my

28
00:02:27,290 --> 00:02:33,960
skin, waking up after a good
sleep, and turning to a new page

29
00:02:33,970 --> 00:02:38,260
in my journal, which is like a
frequent fresh start.

30
00:02:39,600 --> 00:02:44,350
This list isn't something I want
to accomplish right away in one

31
00:02:44,360 --> 00:02:49,030
sitting.
I decide to collect my 50 things

32
00:02:49,080 --> 00:02:53,970
over the course of the week,
writing only those things that I

33
00:02:53,980 --> 00:02:59,130
experience at the time, not
simply brainstorming everything

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00:02:59,140 --> 00:03:04,150
I can think of.
My body and mind are now ready

35
00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:07,010
to get up to see what today will
bring.

36
00:03:08,190 --> 00:03:13,200
Once I'm dressed, I remember to
take my journal and pen with me,

37
00:03:13,270 --> 00:03:16,310
as I will do for the next 7
days.

38
00:03:17,630 --> 00:03:21,630
I've barely made it to the
bottom of the stairs, thinking

39
00:03:21,640 --> 00:03:26,320
that I could already have filled
half the page by seeing things

40
00:03:26,330 --> 00:03:30,720
that make me happy.
But this list isn't all about

41
00:03:30,730 --> 00:03:35,760
material things, although there
will be some physical objects

42
00:03:35,770 --> 00:03:40,160
included for sure.
My new sun dress I'm wearing for

43
00:03:40,170 --> 00:03:42,450
the first time being one of
them.

44
00:03:44,020 --> 00:03:50,090
I don't drink coffee every day,
or even very often at all, but

45
00:03:50,100 --> 00:03:54,390
it's full energizing aroma is
one of my favorites.

46
00:03:55,100 --> 00:03:58,940
So on to the page and into my
cup it goes.

47
00:04:00,410 --> 00:04:06,340
I naturally write a sentence or
two about each entry, not just a

48
00:04:06,350 --> 00:04:11,160
numbered list of what, but the
why is included as well.

49
00:04:12,570 --> 00:04:17,760
With my journal tucked under my
arm, my mug and a fresh biscuit

50
00:04:17,769 --> 00:04:23,280
in hand, I step on to the back
porch where the sun blooms

51
00:04:23,290 --> 00:04:27,800
through my orange patio
umbrella, turning everything

52
00:04:27,810 --> 00:04:31,980
beneath it golden and warm, like
the colour of honey.

53
00:04:32,870 --> 00:04:38,960
The colour of happiness, really.
I take a seat for longer than I

54
00:04:38,970 --> 00:04:44,660
mean to, watching bees drift
between blossoms and the gentle

55
00:04:44,670 --> 00:04:50,220
breeze rocking the umbrella only
slightly, making that quiet

56
00:04:50,230 --> 00:04:56,040
creaking sound I love.
Over the next few days, I

57
00:04:56,050 --> 00:05:01,880
continue filling in blank spaces
of my journal, and the seemingly

58
00:05:01,890 --> 00:05:07,180
insubstantial moments of my week
are transformed into meaningful

59
00:05:07,190 --> 00:05:11,520
ones.
I notice so much more.

60
00:05:11,770 --> 00:05:16,580
The scent of damp basil after
watering my pots of herbs.

61
00:05:17,450 --> 00:05:23,020
The soft clink of a spoon being
set on a saucer while I sit at

62
00:05:23,030 --> 00:05:27,420
the tea shop.
The way the sky darkens before

63
00:05:27,430 --> 00:05:34,350
the summer thunderstorm arrives.
Once I begin looking, the world

64
00:05:34,360 --> 00:05:40,180
offers these moments freely, and
one right after the other, I

65
00:05:40,190 --> 00:05:45,390
only have to pay attention.
I get an e-mail from the

66
00:05:45,400 --> 00:05:49,590
library, and the thrill of
seeing that the book I had on

67
00:05:49,600 --> 00:05:54,040
hold has arrived feels so good
it surprises me.

68
00:05:54,980 --> 00:05:58,030
I smile like I've received a
love letter.

69
00:05:59,200 --> 00:06:03,950
I leave right away to go pick it
up, but I don't hurry on the

70
00:06:03,960 --> 00:06:09,100
short walk.
The smell of wild pink roses has

71
00:06:09,110 --> 00:06:13,730
me stopping at almost every
front yard where they're close

72
00:06:13,740 --> 00:06:16,360
enough to put my nose up to
them.

73
00:06:17,810 --> 00:06:21,360
The walk home is slower than
usual as well.

74
00:06:22,080 --> 00:06:26,790
I carry the book, plus another
one that called to me from the

75
00:06:26,800 --> 00:06:33,460
new books display in my bag.
Like precious treasures, my list

76
00:06:33,470 --> 00:06:38,060
grows as I hear the trickle of a
small fountain in someone's

77
00:06:38,070 --> 00:06:42,820
garden pond.
A puppy still finding his

78
00:06:42,830 --> 00:06:47,100
footing, trippy trips towards me
to say hello.

79
00:06:48,030 --> 00:06:53,370
I get hops and kisses as if I'm
just the person he wants to see.

80
00:06:54,900 --> 00:07:00,170
Some days the list grows faster
on farmers market mourning,

81
00:07:00,180 --> 00:07:05,640
especially when the stalls are
full of early summer fruit and

82
00:07:05,650 --> 00:07:10,670
the air is full of the sounds of
paper bags crinkling and

83
00:07:10,680 --> 00:07:14,450
heartfelt greetings between
neighbors and friends.

84
00:07:15,910 --> 00:07:20,960
There's something about holding
strawberries so ripe they leave

85
00:07:20,970 --> 00:07:26,140
pink marks on your fingers,
choosing which flowers to put on

86
00:07:26,150 --> 00:07:31,280
my table, and of course,
smelling fresh bread still warm

87
00:07:31,290 --> 00:07:36,270
from the oven.
Other things I write about come

88
00:07:36,280 --> 00:07:40,870
in quieter moments.
The feeling of clean sheets on a

89
00:07:40,880 --> 00:07:47,720
freshly made bed, the soft
weight of a cat or two resting

90
00:07:47,730 --> 00:07:51,400
on my lap.
Even the act of folding

91
00:07:51,410 --> 00:07:57,160
dishcloths into neat squares on
a slow afternoon becomes a kind

92
00:07:57,170 --> 00:08:01,970
of meditation.
I have a feeling this may go

93
00:08:01,980 --> 00:08:06,000
well past 50.
When sunlight dapples the wall

94
00:08:06,010 --> 00:08:11,430
through Maple leaves outside my
windows, When I catch sight of

95
00:08:11,440 --> 00:08:16,160
someone's laundry drying in the
fresh air a few houses down.

96
00:08:17,200 --> 00:08:21,870
When I stretch first thing in
the morning and feel every inch

97
00:08:21,880 --> 00:08:27,360
of sleep fall away.
It grows when I sit on the steps

98
00:08:27,370 --> 00:08:32,159
in the evening, watching
fireflies blink across the lawn,

99
00:08:32,590 --> 00:08:37,260
and again when I hear the faint
echo of crickets through an open

100
00:08:37,270 --> 00:08:41,260
window as I washed the last dish
of the night.

101
00:08:42,720 --> 00:08:47,520
It's the morning of the 7th day
and I've almost finished.

102
00:08:48,470 --> 00:08:53,520
Certainly I could have jotted
down hundreds more, but I stuck

103
00:08:53,530 --> 00:08:56,120
to my title at the top of the
page.

104
00:08:57,190 --> 00:09:02,800
Although I do know I'll continue
adding to it, both on paper and

105
00:09:02,810 --> 00:09:07,940
in my thoughts.
As we all seem to be learning.

106
00:09:08,090 --> 00:09:14,020
Happiness lives in the simplest
places, under pergolas, covered

107
00:09:14,030 --> 00:09:20,420
in vines, in the sound of birds
singing, in the glow after the

108
00:09:20,430 --> 00:09:24,450
rain, and in the making of
lists.

109
00:09:28,530 --> 00:09:37,100
Things that make me happy.
Summer has arrived in date and

110
00:09:37,110 --> 00:09:40,760
for the most part in weather,
I'm happy.

111
00:09:40,770 --> 00:09:46,060
I left the window open overnight
to feel the warm breeze upon

112
00:09:46,070 --> 00:09:51,860
awakening as it cooperates by
filtering through the screen and

113
00:09:51,870 --> 00:09:58,630
brushing over my face and arms.
I turned my head towards my

114
00:09:58,640 --> 00:10:02,930
night stand where I'd set my
journal and pen before.

115
00:10:02,940 --> 00:10:05,930
My eyes felt heavy and ready for
sleep.

116
00:10:07,210 --> 00:10:12,280
A good sleep I've had too.
I know because I'd awoken in the

117
00:10:12,290 --> 00:10:15,660
same position in which I had
dozed off.

118
00:10:16,050 --> 00:10:22,260
This also makes me happy.
After noticing these two things

119
00:10:22,270 --> 00:10:27,800
before even sitting up in bed, I
lie here wondering what else

120
00:10:27,810 --> 00:10:33,160
brings me happiness.
This gives me an idea for a fun

121
00:10:33,170 --> 00:10:38,290
project for myself.
I opened my journal to a fresh

122
00:10:38,300 --> 00:10:44,710
page, writing in my neatest hand
across the top 50 things that

123
00:10:44,720 --> 00:10:49,900
make me happy.
I choose 50 because it's a nice

124
00:10:49,910 --> 00:10:54,500
round Number, and it's a high
enough one that instead of

125
00:10:54,510 --> 00:10:59,820
scanning over the day, or even
each moment as a whole, I'll

126
00:10:59,830 --> 00:11:02,910
need to delve deeper into the
noticing.

127
00:11:04,450 --> 00:11:09,440
I give myself an easy beginning
by writing what's already made

128
00:11:09,450 --> 00:11:16,310
me smile, the warm breeze on my
skin, waking up after a good

129
00:11:16,320 --> 00:11:22,250
sleep, and turning to a new page
in my journal, which is like a

130
00:11:22,260 --> 00:11:27,670
frequent fresh start.
This list isn't something I want

131
00:11:27,680 --> 00:11:30,650
to accomplish right away in one
sitting.

132
00:11:31,540 --> 00:11:36,660
I decide to collect my 50 things
over the course of the week,

133
00:11:37,340 --> 00:11:42,680
writing only those things that I
experience at the time, not

134
00:11:42,690 --> 00:11:45,980
simply brainstorming everything
I can think of.

135
00:11:47,390 --> 00:11:52,300
My body and mind are now ready
to get up to see what today will

136
00:11:52,310 --> 00:11:56,170
bring.
Once I'm dressed, I remember to

137
00:11:56,180 --> 00:12:01,470
take my journal and pen with me,
as I will do for the next 7

138
00:12:01,480 --> 00:12:05,040
days.
I've barely made it to the

139
00:12:05,050 --> 00:12:09,460
bottom of the stairs, thinking
that I could already have filled

140
00:12:09,470 --> 00:12:13,500
half the page by seeing things
that make me happy.

141
00:12:13,910 --> 00:12:19,350
But this list isn't all about
material things, although there

142
00:12:19,360 --> 00:12:23,320
will be some physical objects
included for sure.

143
00:12:23,630 --> 00:12:27,850
My new sun dress I'm wearing for
the first time being one of

144
00:12:27,860 --> 00:12:32,640
them.
I don't drink coffee every day,

145
00:12:32,710 --> 00:12:38,580
or even very often at all, but
it's full energizing aroma is

146
00:12:38,590 --> 00:12:43,380
one of my favorites.
So on to the page and into my

147
00:12:43,390 --> 00:12:48,580
cup it goes.
I naturally write a sentence or

148
00:12:48,590 --> 00:12:54,740
two about each entry, not just a
numbered list of what, but the

149
00:12:54,750 --> 00:13:00,380
why is included as well.
With my journal tucked under my

150
00:13:00,390 --> 00:13:06,480
arm, my mug and a fresh biscuit
in hand, I step on to the back

151
00:13:06,490 --> 00:13:10,840
porch where the sun blooms
through my orange patio

152
00:13:10,850 --> 00:13:16,370
umbrella, turning everything
beneath it golden and warm, like

153
00:13:16,380 --> 00:13:20,870
the colour of honey.
The colour of happiness, really.

154
00:13:22,300 --> 00:13:27,790
I take a seat for longer than I
mean to, watching bees drift

155
00:13:27,800 --> 00:13:33,310
between blossoms and the gentle
breeze rocking the umbrella only

156
00:13:33,320 --> 00:13:37,890
slightly, making that quiet
creaking sound I love.

157
00:13:39,360 --> 00:13:44,770
Over the next few days, I
continue filling in blank spaces

158
00:13:44,780 --> 00:13:50,490
of my journal, and the seemingly
insubstantial moments of my week

159
00:13:50,560 --> 00:13:53,500
are transformed into meaningful
ones.

160
00:13:54,920 --> 00:14:00,150
I notice so much more.
The scent of damp basil after

161
00:14:00,160 --> 00:14:05,930
watering my pots of herbs.
The soft clink of a spoon being

162
00:14:05,940 --> 00:14:09,680
set on a saucer while I sit at
the tea shop.

163
00:14:10,700 --> 00:14:15,750
The way the sky darkens before
the summer thunderstorm arrives.

164
00:14:17,190 --> 00:14:23,120
Once I begin looking, the world
offers these moments freely, and

165
00:14:23,130 --> 00:14:27,920
one right after the other, I
only have to pay attention.

166
00:14:29,390 --> 00:14:33,400
I get an e-mail from the
library, and the thrill of

167
00:14:33,410 --> 00:14:38,440
seeing that the book I had on
hold has arrived feels so good

168
00:14:38,450 --> 00:14:42,940
it surprises me.
I smile like I've received a

169
00:14:42,950 --> 00:14:47,250
love letter.
I leave right away to go pick it

170
00:14:47,260 --> 00:14:50,640
up, but I don't hurry on the
short walk.

171
00:14:51,770 --> 00:14:57,120
The smell of wild pink roses has
me stopping at almost every

172
00:14:57,130 --> 00:15:01,740
front yard where they're close
enough to put my nose up to

173
00:15:01,750 --> 00:15:05,670
them.
The walk home is slower than

174
00:15:05,680 --> 00:15:10,530
usual as well.
I carry the book, plus another

175
00:15:10,540 --> 00:15:15,550
one that called to me from the
new books display in my bag.

176
00:15:15,560 --> 00:15:21,640
Like precious treasures, my list
grows as I hear the trickle of a

177
00:15:21,650 --> 00:15:24,910
small fountain in someone's
garden pond.

178
00:15:26,140 --> 00:15:31,670
A puppy still finding his
footing, trippy trips towards me

179
00:15:31,680 --> 00:15:36,600
to say hello.
I get hops and kisses as if I'm

180
00:15:36,610 --> 00:15:43,600
just the person he wants to see.
Some days the list grows faster

181
00:15:43,930 --> 00:15:48,360
on farmers market mourning,
especially when the stalls are

182
00:15:48,370 --> 00:15:53,860
full of early summer fruit and
the air is full of the sounds of

183
00:15:53,870 --> 00:15:58,540
paper bags crinkling and
heartfelt greetings between

184
00:15:58,550 --> 00:16:03,730
neighbors and friends.
There's something about holding

185
00:16:03,740 --> 00:16:08,650
strawberries so ripe they leave
pink marks on your fingers,

186
00:16:09,400 --> 00:16:14,310
choosing which flowers to put on
my table, and of course,

187
00:16:14,320 --> 00:16:17,910
smelling fresh bread still warm
from the oven.

188
00:16:19,590 --> 00:16:23,600
Other things I write about come
in quieter moments.

189
00:16:24,110 --> 00:16:30,130
The feeling of clean sheets on a
freshly made bed, the soft

190
00:16:30,140 --> 00:16:36,530
weight of a cat or two resting
on my lap, even the act of

191
00:16:36,540 --> 00:16:41,490
folding dishcloths into neat
squares on a slow afternoon

192
00:16:41,760 --> 00:16:47,720
becomes a kind of meditation.
I have a feeling this may go

193
00:16:47,730 --> 00:16:51,750
well past 50.
When sunlight dapples the wall

194
00:16:51,760 --> 00:16:57,180
through Maple leaves outside my
windows, When I catch sight of

195
00:16:57,190 --> 00:17:01,910
someone's laundry drying in the
fresh air a few houses down.

196
00:17:02,950 --> 00:17:07,619
When I stretch first thing in
the morning and feel every inch

197
00:17:07,630 --> 00:17:13,109
of sleep fall away.
It grows when I sit on the steps

198
00:17:13,119 --> 00:17:17,910
in the evening, watching
fireflies blink across the lawn,

199
00:17:18,339 --> 00:17:23,010
and again when I hear the faint
echo of crickets through an open

200
00:17:23,020 --> 00:17:26,990
window as I washed the last dish
of the night.

201
00:17:28,470 --> 00:17:33,280
It's the morning of the 7th day
and I've almost finished.

202
00:17:34,220 --> 00:17:39,270
Certainly I could have jotted
down hundreds more, but I stuck

203
00:17:39,280 --> 00:17:41,870
to my title at the top of the
page.

204
00:17:42,910 --> 00:17:48,560
Although I do know I'll continue
adding to it, both on paper and

205
00:17:48,570 --> 00:17:53,650
in my thoughts.
As we all seem to be learning.

206
00:17:53,840 --> 00:17:59,770
Happiness lives in the simplest
places, under pergolas, covered

207
00:17:59,780 --> 00:18:06,180
in vines, in the sound of birds
singing, in the glow after the

208
00:18:06,190 --> 00:18:10,200
rain, and in the making of
lists.

209
00:18:12,430 --> 00:18:16,050
I wish you happiness and sweet
dreams.