Last week, Andy’s back went to spasms so I had to drive him to a massage appointment one evening. Bored and with nothing to do in the waiting room, I began leafing through a small book on the coffee table titled 14,000 Things to Be Happy About by Barbara Ann Kipfer.
The author kept a list for 20-something years and then threw it all together for a book. (What can’t be published these days?)
Some things that made Barbara Ann happy were:
- Absurd – leprechauns, red leotards, Sun-In hair lightener , the TV show “Dallas”
- Admirable – world peace, love, justice
- Redundant – happy times
- Obvious – wine with a friend, fresh flowers, D.H. Lawrence, wedding cake
- Inspired – smell of Play-doh, X-acto knives, little boxes of breakfast cereal
Reviews on Amazon.com are mixed. Seems readers took issue with items they refused to believe made Barbara Ann (or anyone) happy. They really didn’t *get* it. The book is about using our own imagination; remembering all those things that make us happy that may or may not make sense to others.
The little book was a much needed gratitude adjustment for me. I’ve started my own list. It may not be publishable but it’s a great reminder that we’re all so very different – and that’s a little fantastic (to borrow a phrase from the Fantastic Mr. Fox).
Here’s something from my list: seeing a car go by with a dog sitting in the passenger seat like a person.
Won’t you share one thing that makes you happy?
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