10 Simple Things that Make me Happy

Inspired by today's chat with the one and only @paolo

Fire is magical to begin with, but it's on cold days that I appreciate it most acutely. From how it smells like smoke and coziness; to its crackling sound; to the multitude of colors and warmth it provides and the flavor it imparts; it lights up all of my senses.

The night sky will always dazzle me. I like the idea of getting lost in its enormity and wondering at how it's both so meaningful and so meaningless at once.

Lattes, cappucinos, macchiatos- you name it, and I would happily sip it in an urban cafe. Give me a book, my chess board, and a friend and I'm set for the day.

From just about any culture, really. There's something about folk music that feels distilled to me, and almost pure in the sense that it's often a simple combination of instruments and voice and is absent of technological meddling.

I'm trying to evoke a very specific feeling here. When it's dusk in the early summer, I love riding my bike around and feeling warm yet cooled by the breeze, observing the peace of the impending night while the day winds down. It's very calming and makes me feel hopeful, somehow.

I can be quite sappy when it comes to this. Obvious displays of love always get to me.

Sometimes I feel like I unilaterally keep Sephora in business. Face masks make me so happy. Whether it's a simple sheet mask, or a fancier peel-off treatment, I love that there's a face mask for my every mood and skin need.

I *love* getting the giggles and just chuckling about ridiculous things for extended periods of time. I've found that there are certain people who, for whatever reason, just inspire me to laugh a ton, and I really enjoy spending time with them.

Another item about nighttime... I'm beginning to see a theme here. I love snow, and when the moon reflects off of it in winter I feel so very alive.