Six Things That Make Me Happy + Sunday Reflections Link Up

Happy Sunday! I hope you’re all having a lovely weekend 🙂 Yesterday we went to a family wedding and had a great time. I’ll be sharing my outfit on Tuesday (you may have seen it on Instagram Stories). Today I’m getting the house ready for guests and packing for my holiday as I’ve only got one day off work between now and the day we leave. So much to do!

Despite being busy I have many reasons to be happy…did you know that it was International Day of Happiness last week? The United Nations resolution is coordinated with charity Action for Happiness, whose patron is the Dalai Lama. This year was the sixth International Day of Happiness so I’m sharing six things that make me happy 🙂 Obviously there are other things that go without saying, like family and friends; this is just an insight into the little things that brighten my day!

1.Tea Although I love a good cup of coffee in the morning I’m more of a tea drinker. I always start the day with a cup of green tea, followed by black tea with soya milk before my daily coffee hit. After that it’s tea all the way. When I first considered going vegan the one thing that made me hesitate was how tea would taste with non-dairy milk. I went dairy-free for a while in my 20s and tea just wasn’t the same. Thankfully soya milk has improved a lot since then, and there are lots of other vegan options too. Now I prefer Alpro soya milk in my tea, so I can carry on knocking back my favourite drink all day long!

2. Watching the birds I have several bird feeders in my garden and love watching my little feathered friends. I put nuts, seeds, fat balls and mealworms out for them to attract different types of birds.  Luckily my cat Henry doesn’t bother them (he’s too lazy) but I do have to watch out for the neighbours’ cats who love to stalk them. Yesterday I saw goldfinches for the first time this year, they are such pretty birds. The robins and tits are always a joy to see too 🙂

3 Running

Admittedly I don’t always feel ecstatic while I’m doing it but it never fails to boost my mood. No other form of exercise makes me feel as happy and relaxed afterwards. If I’m unable to run at least a couple of times a week I feel restless and irritable. A few weeks ago I had a sudden pain in my foot immediately after a run which persisted. I saw a nurse who said I probably have a hairline fracture but if I needed to carry on running I should do. Oddly, it hurts a lot less to run in trainers than it does to walk in shoes with less support. Just another injury to add to the long list but it won’t stop me running!

4. Music 

I can’t go a day without music. Whether I’m in the car, on the treadmill or just relaxing, I love listening to music. It has always been a big part of my life. When I was about six years old I taught myself some simple tunes by ear on a keyboard, and later when I started senior school I began having classical guitar lessons. I went on to do music A level, and even started a music degree, but realised I didn’t want to make a career of it so switched subjects. Now Isobel is having guitar lessons which has prompted me to pick it up again – I was amazed I could still remember pieces that I hadn’t played for almost 20 years! You probably know that I love rock music most of all, and that AC/DC is my favourite band!

5. The beach

There’s someting so relaxing about being at the beach. The sound of the waves lapping at the shore is hypnotic, I can fall asleep within minutes! I love the feel of sand between my toes and looking for shells. It’s been almost a year since I was last by the sea and I can’t wait to go on holiday (not long to wait now!).

6. Animals

I’m sure you all know that being with animals makes me very happy! The volunteering work I do is the best therapy money can’t buy. I could watch the foxes all day, they are such beautiful, fascinating creatures. They all have their own personalities too. The one in the photo above is a male fox, and at first he was quite shy, but he’s used to me now and comes for a sniff. He even stole my glove from my coat pocket and took it into his kennel…I did get it back though! I can’t stop smiling whenever I’m near a fox 🙂

Of course I couldn’t leave out my handsome boy Henry. He’s such a good-natured cat and loves lots of fuss. He was only a kitten when I moved in with Pete, who’d never had a cat before. I’ve always had cats – at one point in my childhood we had seven! Henry was my fur baby before I had Isobel, and although her arrival didn’t go down well at first (he used to go to the neighbour’s house for some peace and quiet!) they’re best mates now. I love to snuggle up next to him and go to sleep 🙂

So those are six things that make me happy…what makes you happy?

This is where I link up!