Happiness for a simpleton....

Seeing an elderly couple walking hand in hand... or, simply helping each other in and out of the car.

The tail wag of the dog, the knead of a cat..

As a child...... cotton candy..... a peanut buster parfait.... a nickel mug of root beer..  a vanilla phosphate.... the stick of gum straight outta the baseball card pack....  mom's Spanish rice... mulberries after a 12' climb to get 'em...   granny's chocolate pie... peanut M&M's.... funnel cakes..  the cinnamon rolls at school, yum..

As a big person..  fall or the bone ribs... lasagna..  ok, I'll stop, this is boring, each person has their likes and dislikes!

The look on the face of a kid thatsa movin' without training wheels for the first time....   a child hoisted on mom or dad's shoulders so they can see too.. 

A jogger, but not your everday Runner's World Magazine, or marathon man, 10K kinda jogger.  A jogger who quite obviously ain't jogged in awhile and has the fortitude to get out there and go, maybe hurt a little bit, with great effort for personal betterness.

YOLO... BOGO... ILY..  ILY2... TY..  ROFL..  

First time ever for a little one to go off the diving board..   A mom, dad or even a grandma or grandpa that shows the kids, "hey, I too can go off the diving board!"

Being at any kind of baseball game - you almost always see something yain't seen before.

Seeing an old friend.....  Seeing a young friend...

Life when the tailgater on your heels gets the yellow light and you are free to laugh for 30 seconds or so.....

Farts....

A cow in a pond, a hog lazing in a muddy earthen..  A hawk soaring above.. A deer almost tippy toeing thru the woods...

A snake (in an aquarium.. going back down into it's hole.. or, shortly after a visit to the taxidermist.)

Karma.....

Being blessed to age...  Finding someone in WalMart that is actually older..  Being in a retail establishment, having to pee, and, after asking clerk where the john is, it's so close you don't have to do the pee pee dance to get there on time..

Jumping into bed after a fun day....  Jumping into bed only to find the smell of the sheets that just came offa the clothesline.. Jumping into bed and there awaits..- well, you know.

Rain, thunder observed, heard, from a screened in porch... Sunshine, but with a gentle breeze...  A fairly warm day but being graced with God's blanket of clouds...

A couple that sidesteps divorce court only to remember they both like pina coladas, gettin' caught in the rain, the feel of the ocean, and the taste of champagne.. makin' love at midnight... batteries recharged so to speak.

Eyeballs here.   Eyeballs on a beautiful person.. Eyeballs on a puppy - discovering things for a first time.. Eyeballs on a loved one..  

Being at the movie theater, the movie ends.. it's quiet.. the tear ain't dry yet..  you feel like you just ran a marathon, you don't wanna get up, you're emotionally exhausted, but DAMN, it was good.

Hello's.. fist bumps..  high fives from a kid..  

Certain noises..  the coffee's done perculatin'.. . a helicopter above..  the mower that starts after the pull..  music so good you can't sit still...   "Play ball".. "Say cheese"..  "Dearly beloved".... remembering the voices of those that have departed...

Parades.. the mechanical wave of the queen sitting up on the back of the convertible.. watching, listening to kids in hysterics after they just saw a horse poop.. bands in precision..  little ones marching and an appreciation for them as they must take twice the steps of others..

Full fledged naps..  Easy chair unintended naps where you wakeup and think "oh hell, what time is it?"

A dog and a tennis ball..  a dog on the leash awaiting a nice walk..  a dog off his leash going wherever in the hell he wantsta..  a dog so excited he's running in circles..  

Toothpaste, mouthwash, shampoo, a warm relaxing bath where their ain't no damn hurry to get out.

Getting outta the heat and into the cold.  Getting outta the cold and into the heat.

A pond, a lake, a stream, a river, an ocean. A camera. 99% on a cell phone.

When things go as planned.  When things don't go as planned, you manage, and you are actually damn proud of yourself.

Batman, goblins and Elsa knocking on your door in October..   Santa with his REAL beard..

People gathered for just about anything.. a concert.. a ball game.. a parade.. a child's school performance..  a Fall Festival.. a movie..  and recognizing, "hey, we can do this, there ain't one GD (gosh darn) thought about politics, political party, no name calling, we peacefully can exist. (Together) (Us Americans.) The Turtles might even write a song, "Happy Together...Ba-ba-ba-ba ba-ba-ba-ba ba-ba-ba ba-ba-ba-ba."

Once I was an elementary school teacher..  I loved my boss, the Principal.  She taught me, maybe my 'favorist' all time advice: "Catch 'em doing good."  Yum.

I would bet, if she were still around, and she could read this, she might add "Catch yourself being happy.. there is sooooo much out there to be happy about."

By Henry Hallmark Gibson.   Forward by Bert, Ernie and Mr. Rogerts

Love, Victurd