A Slice of Happiness Pie

What is "happiness"? With the help of my Facebook friends, I think I've found the answer:  happiness is a whole lot of different things which vary from person to person (vague answer, right? Happiness simply cannot be pegged down to one "key".)

I asked the question "What is happiness?", in my status update.  Nearly 40 friends responded, some listing multiple keys to their own personal happiness.  The following pie chart is a breakdown of their responses - enjoy a slice!

The majority of my Facebook friends are parents, so children were the frontrunner in creating happiness. Mentions of love, including spouses and significant others, were pretty much equal to responses involving family in general.  From this, I concluded that children make women a lot happier than men do (haha!) I also learned that people really enjoy a good meal, and when all else fails, most seek comfort in knowing their Lord and Savior. The responses I appreciated most were those that mentioned "the little things" or "the simple things" - like being grateful for what you have, enjoying simple moments, and one of my favorites, maintaining a balance in life.

So what makes me happy?  LOTS of things.  Enjoying a rich cup of hot chocolate,  the smell of a nice home fragrance, my mom's clean laundry, meeting a goal, setting new goals, making someone else smile on a day when I can barely smile at all, conquering a fear, feeling healthy and energetic, my kitty's purring, holiday decorations and Jingle Bell Rock, simple things and complicated things, big buildings, taking photos, sharing a pizza with my husband, reading quotes on Dove chocolate wrappers, my husband's success and happiness, the unknown, victories, lessons learned, using the neti pot when my head is congested, a slice of cheesecake, good music, the movie "Definitely Maybe", pretty socks, seeing my family members succeed at anything and everything, learning, adventure, challenges, the past, the present, and the future.  My Happiness. 

If that isn't enough happiness for you, then here's the happiness my Facebook friends shared with me this week:

10 Things that make me Smile - Writer's Workshop

Time for some Mama Kat!  Her writing prompts were awesome this week - I nearly chose more than just one!

List of 10 things that are sure to put a smile on your face

when you're not happy:

1. My husband! He has a terrific sense of humor (and surprisingly, doesn't make me unhappy - like - EVER.  Well, except for when he tells me all about Karl Marx' skin boils, and other Marxist facts from his dissertation research.)

2. Diego.  My housecat is the biggest, prettiest yellow tabby tomcat with an even bigger personality - and the cutest little boy cat face ever! I can't help but smile when he looks up with his big golden eyes and "meeps" at me.

3. Chocolate.  The more the better, please! When I'm upset, i prefer it in the form of something ooey-gooey and packed with calories (Applebees' Triple Chocolate Meltdown, Cold Stone Creamery "chocolate devotion", warm chocolate chip cookies.) Chocolate. Fixes. Everything.

4. The Office - Every single episode cracks me up! However, Steve Carrell's departure after Season 7 puts a big frown on my face.
5. Sports.  Football, Basketball, Baseball, the Olympics... I generally enjoy it all! I love football season the most, and love attending sporting events of all types - except the ones when Marshall is losing! (I love my Thundering Herd!)
6. Anything Green! Adding to #5 above, I love green. I became obsessed with it while a student @ Marshall University.  Any shade'll do - I even love pea green! Forest Green, Kelly Green, Lime Green... Just give me something green and I'll be your friend forever.
7. Christmas.  The smells, the decorations, the music... if it's Christmas related, I'm one happy woman!  I love the smell of a cinnamon candle burning during the holiday season - while drinking hot chocolate and plotting gift lists, addressing greeting cards, and listening to Michael buble' croon "Let it snow" in the background. Yep, I'm smiling just thinking about it!
8. My mom's cooking - I don't have it very often nowadays, but her cooking is amazing.  She's Paula Dean - seriously, anything from a simple grilled cheese or hamburger to Thanksgiving dinner is SO comforting and good.  She always uses real butter and real sugar, and cooks with a whole lotta love.
9. New Projects! I love brainstorming and coming up with new ideas.  Browsing online, in catalogs, and in magazines for new home decor trends and pretty patterns is just the beginning - I start smiling really big once i've been inspired, and then the real fun begins - I start creating! *SMILE*!
10. Reading blogs (of course!) All of my favorite bloggers always make me smile.  Blogs are so fun, creative, inspiring, and full of life - I'm so glad I found my way into this world!

There you have it!  10 things guaranteed to make me smile when Mr. sad face is around.

Visit Mama Kat and join in the fun of Writer's Workshop - work on your post today, link up tomorrow!