I recently took over taking care of my brothers dog, Tex, and its the first time I've had a dog that is one hundred precent mine. The bad part is that he's a 3 year old yellow lab that is about 185% certifiably insane. Just this week, he's eaten my grill cover right off the grill, I caught him trying to do the same thing to the comforter on my bed, he ripped my hose rack out of the wall in the backyard, and ate a pretty good bit of the hose itself. That dog can be a real dickhead. None of that really matters to me though, because when I scratch him behind his ears, he starts grunting with the most satisfying look on his face that I immediately forgive him for everything he has fucked up. Who knew something as simple as that could bring about happiness in my life. Focus Family, Money, Friends- those things are all well and good. But what are some of the little things in your life that bring you happiness, that are also the things that you sometimes overlook?
Ah, the attitude of gratitude. I used to hate yardwork. Now, I approach it with the attitude of gratitude for owning a yard I can maintain. Apply this to anything in life. Gratitude is the great antidote for any "self" afflictions (self-pity, self-loathing, etc.).
- Working for a company I really believe in. - My puppy. I look at her every day, and wonder if there's any possible way I could love her more. - People watching. I could do this for hours, and it never gets old. - Good books. I don't find them often, but when I do they make me really fucking happy, for some reason. - Cooking a really badass meal. I love sitting down with good company to enjoy a home cooked meal and a bottle (or five) of wine.
I'll have to second yard work. I use to hate it when I was a kid but then I realized that it's actually really nice. Not only does it give you a reward at the end, but it gives you a chance to be alone for a little while and think. Some of my greatest thoughts have come to me while I'm riding the lawn mower or holding a rake.
Along the lines of having a dog, nothing can make me forget any shitty day like coming home and having the dog so happy to see me everytime. It will instantly make me forget about anything else as soon as she sees me and will just get so excited.
I guess this is kind of cliche, but when my friends come to me for advice and I am actually able to help them out; it's one of the best feelings. Usually it's relationship advice, but really anything that I can help with makes me happy. Even if it's as little as telling my friend how to approach a first date, it feels good knowing I helped them sleep a little easier at night.
We might as well turn this into a dog thread: I went on vacation a few weeks ago for two weeks. My mom decided to watch my dog Layla. She was worried that if she left her in the cage at night she'd cry, and if she let her roam the house at night she'd bark at every shadow moving outside. She decided reluctantly the first night to try and let her sleep in her room. When my mom called Layla to come up stairs she ran up the steps and directly into my room where she usually sleeps at my feet. Layla slept at the bottom of my bed for the rest of the two weeks I was gone. Dog loyalty, doesn't it just bring that knot up in your throat?
I can't jump on the yardwork wagon - I will NEVER cut the grass and that's that - but I can absolutely go for the dog concept. I have two dogs, and all three of us are living in a hotel until I get possession of a house. It's been over 6 weeks, with 3 still to go. The best part of my day is opening the door to my room. My big dog, Abraham, is UNFAILINGLY sitting just far enough back to allow the door to open. The little one, Finli, hangs back a bit so he doesn't get stepped on. Finli has a destructive streak sometimes. So far he's eaten both couch cushions and a large patch of carpet. The HOTEL'S wall-to-wall carpet. If I was a coked out rockstar I wouldn't be doing more damage to that room. But having two tails thumping back and forth and four paws jump up against your leg so that they might better lick your face makes everything completely worth it.
1. Lazy mornings. After my first two years in the "real world," sleeping in is a rarity I've come to cherish. Nothing like being able to sleep until 10 and then read in bed sipping coffee. 2. Getting mail that isn't bills. There's not much that compares to getting a random postcard from a friend or an unsuspected package from your parents. Checking the mail is often a chore, and it's so cool to get something you don't immediately want to throw away. 3. Driving. I fucking love driving. I actually prefer to drive alone so I can crank up the music, roll down the windows and zone out for hours at a time.
Yard work has to be one of my all time favorite things. The house we recently bought has a blank slate of a yard and I get to turn it into whatever oasis I want. Spending the rest of my life puttering around my yard is at the top of the list. Working from home. Not having to commute every fucking day and being able to pick up my guitar and take a 10 to 15 minute break when I want without anyone bothering me. My wife. My kids. My dog. My guns. I'm a simple man. What can I say?
The work I do has me on the road living in a hotel 4-5 days a week. One night when I entered my room, there was a cupcake sitting on the desk. A personalized one (had my name written on it)! It made the stress of the 12 hour day go straight out the window. It made me feel at home, and kinda like someone cared. Even though it was just a cupcake. It's sad how happy that little cupcake made me.
I'll second driving. To be on open roads on a nice sunny day with the windows down and the music up...there's really no feeling that can compare. Finding myself one step ahead of my boss. I work for lawyers and having already done something that they need gives me a nice little sense of satisfaction. Having my boyfriend make my lunch for me. It's something I absolutely hate doing because it either makes me late for work in the morning or I have to do it the night before and it just interrupts my down time. But when he gets my lunch together for me, it's a huge relief. Stupid, I know. But it IS the little things....
Grilling meat. Don't know what it is, but I achieve zen when I'm in front of a grill with a nice piece of beef on it. Maybe it's the smell of burning meat, maybe it's the sound of searing flesh or maybe I just like steak. Who knows, who cares. I could have the worst day in the world and go home and chuck a piece of kobe on my grill pan and it all stress will go away before it hits medium rare.
An afternoon alone with my stereo. A chance to get out on the motorcycle for a day. I love the wife and kids but having alone time is something that is just in short supply. Having one of the cats jump in my lap for a little affection time is nice. It is always interrupted by one of the wife's dogs getting jealous though.
The older I get, the more satifaction I get from: A comfortable bed with good sheets (at least 400 thread count). Aahhhh....just feels so good. A good playlist of songs or a burned CD of stuff I actually want to hear. The right song at the right moment = sheer bliss. A good night's sleep where one of the following--kids, cats, dog, or bunny--doesn't wake me up in the middle of the night and where I don't have to wake up at the crack of dawn. Using cash. For a long time, I never carried cash and only used a check card. These days, to keep my spending on track better, I pay myself a set amount each week in cash, and that's all there is to spend. But nothing beats having money in the wallet, for some reason. It feels good. The right shoes. We went to a rather snooty bar last night at the top of a local hotel, and I was greatly comforted by the fact that I had on the cutest shoes of any woman there. A long, slow, sweet, hot goodnight kiss. My boyfriend rocks my world.
I love giving gifts. It doesn't have to be Christmas or a birthday and it doesn't have to be big. But to be able to give someone something for no other reason than I wanted to and I thought they would like it. (Conversely, I'm really bad at accepting gifts) Bubblebaths. We have one tub left in the house and it's soon going to be ripped out and a roll in shower for my handicapped brother put in its place. I take excessively long baths (like up to 2 hours) at the frequency of about 4 per week. When I'm in a bath, that's MY time to relax & not be disturbed. It's amazing what some Epsom salt, bubble bath & a candle can do.
This is timely. My parents just took off for a week in France to visit my sister who's there on an exchange program. They asked me to stay at their place and take care of our dog. (I don't live with them anymore, obviously, but he's still my dog too, dammit.) Note that from their place it takes me 30 minutes longer to get to work in the morning, I'm sleeping in my parents' bed which I can't help but find creepy, they have a shitty internet connection and a slow-as-fuck computer. But as soon as I walk in the door to their apartment, and he runs up, tail wagging so hard it's wagging his entire rear end along with it, none of that matters anymore.
There is no greater feeling than driving home late at night, after a nice workout or swim. Empty roads are hard to find in LA, and the combination of them and a post workout high gives me the strongest sense of internal peace I can find. Coming from a family of eight, I've also learned to appreciate any time I have alone, and am very comfortable with being alone for long periods of time. Most people I know would think it would be the opposite.
How old is this lab? #1: Labs are puppies until they are 4 years old. #2: Labs get destructive when they are bored. #3: As far as Labs go, yellow labs are fucking nuts. Just so you know. #4: The big (like $20 or $30) Kong coated on the inside with peanut butter is your new best friend. It will keep him busy for hours.