When we are on a vacation, we all wake up together & I actually look forward to the elaborate breakfast prepared for me by someone else! And how can I forget the variety of things on offer! What a welcome change from everyday life back in your house, where my day starts at 6 a.m, & till 8.30 I'm busy with the morning tasks: preparing breakfast & lunch, getting Tanvi ready for school, so on & so forth. Someone else cooking for me, has always figured right on top of my how-to-list of, "Simple Ways to Make Me Happy."
2. Leafing through my school yearbook & old family albums & laughing at my hairstyle, posture, dressing & face. Some of it is embarrassing alright; but then, that is how I started & then reached to being who or what I’m today. My personal growth & the journey of finding my own bearings, in this big, big world, fills me with joy & a sense of accomplishment.
Or catching up with school/college friends & laughing at the crazy things we did back then. Recently, I met my school friend, Zeena, after EIGHTEEN years!!
Seeing my daughter & her son playing together in the beach also made me feel good. Did I ever imagine this would happen one day? NEVER. So when the scene unfolded in front of my eyes, I felt all kinds of emotions – contentment, gratitude, happiness, surprise. 
3. A comedy movie that makes me CRY. Ben Stiller & Steve Martin totally crack me up. I’m one of those that speak & laugh loud, completely letting my hair down. There have been times my stomach hurt & felt like it was in knots, by the end of a marathon session of uncontrolled laughter, & i have actually left the room or the seat, unable to laugh any longer & still continued to break into fits of sporadic giggles.4. I still fit in to the blouses/clothes/jeans/t-shirt of yesteryears! This is one thing that I show-off & tease Sathya all the time about: I can easily get into a shirt I bought 7 years ago while he struggles to get into something bought as recently as four months back. Yes, he is gaining weight & how!
5. The way my skin feels & my hair smells after a languorous bath. The mixed fragrances of the body wash, the face wash, the shampoo, the conditioner & the moisturizing cream at the end of it all is HEADY! That is also the reason why I LOOVE spas – sensual indulgence is definitely my thing. Getting pampered is a good thing, I say.6. Finding that one face I know & like, in a social or formal gathering. A huge hall filled with strange people & faces unsettles me just a wee bit & spotting a friend instantly lifts my spirits.
7. The feel of my daughter’s hand on me while she is fast asleep & I am still listening to the rhythms of her heart or her slow, soft breathing.8. An act of goodness done by me or to me. It touches me immensely.
9. A kind gesture from a complete stranger in a completely new city. I have been to so many little nukes & corner of India that when a Telugu/Tamilian/Maharashtrian/Keralite/Goan/Bengali/Delhiite/Uttaranchal responds to you as a fellow Indian & & as a human being first & foremost, & not as a person belonging to a particular community or state, it is a moment I deeply cherish.
10. Putting my hand across my man’s chest & slowly drifting off to sleep after an evening spent worrying & crying. I cry & worry easy. Most days I console myself & spring back pretty well. But there are days when just lying next to your spouse makes it all seem small; that everything’s really ok or will be soon enough.
I have realized that most of the instances I have mentioned above have one thing in common: they are, to a large extent, the moments when I have either felt beautiful in my own skin or loved and wanted by a near & dear one.Life's good! And there surely are more than 10 things that make me feel so!
Such a good Analysis Sujatha. I cannot agree more.
ReplyDeleteI was nodding my head across all your points.
By the way, why has your profile and followers widget reached the bottoms? People would love to see you on the top Sujatha :)
@Sahana: thank you Sahana!
ReplyDeleteyou know i was nervous that someone might post a comment (Nona to be specific) before i was done with my editing & my commas & full-stops!
i noticed that when the followers widget was on top, it took more time for the page to open, because of the many photos & the size i guess.
This is so heart warming and you look pretty :) God Bless :)
ReplyDeleteLove, Risha :)
wow would like to meet you see you
ReplyDeleteWow...great list
ReplyDeleteand i think Sathya likes ur food very much thats why he become more fat
damn it! I had written so elaborately on this post and for some reason it just didn't publish. I so hate this.
ReplyDeleteHate writing it again, but I had to tell you that this is one of my fav post. Why, coz its about you and to get a slice of someone who is so similar to you is an amazing feeling. Your insecurities, fears, happiness, warmth, the fretting over trivial things, everything is so similar to how I look at things and react. We have our crazy days and we have our fun days. Women ..lol we are a crazy lot and we just seem to epitomize it.
Nice write up.Blessed are the ones who can count their BLESSINGS.
ReplyDeleteAll of us are in pursuit of REAL HAPPINESS,some try to find it in money/wealth,some need family and few others find solace in serving others.Being happy is art,does not come naturally.Many of us keep ourselves unhappy by desiring for insignificant things.
A person is said to be happy if he/she
a)has someone to love.
b)has work that they love to do.
c)Has hope.
They say a person has to be happy to remain alive,we all are happy but fail to acknowledge the same.
@Risha: thank you Risha
ReplyDelete@Ashwini: now that is one more thing that makes me feel gooood - your comment & appreciation, thank you Ashwini :)
@Jidhu: no, not my food Jidhu, its actually his beer & over-eating :(
@Paddy: oh no that's sad - the effort & time that goes into thinking & writing a post. hope it never happens again Padma. you must have it in the drafts though, checked there?
ReplyDeletewe are one crazy bunch for sure :)
@Vinod: yes,i too would like to believe that we are all happy. thanks Vinod for sharing your thoughts. i appreciate the time you put into posting your views
i am still searching for words to comment on this post ........... lovely flow of emotions :) :)
ReplyDelete:) The best joys in life come from the joy of doing nothing :)
ReplyDeleteI like english breakfast a lot, thought I do not eat non-veg but the hash-browns and beans :D bring it on.
I am a spa person too....I could spend all my life in a spa, if I could afford I would live in a spa >:<
@Sunita: thank you :)
ReplyDelete@Chintan: the first one - 100% - esp if it involves cooking :)
live in a spa - LOL - yes, if only :(
Ten lovely moments written in the best golden words!
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed reading through; thanks for sharing those with us Sujatha :o)
Nice that you can write about these things...
ReplyDeletehey you know if i write about 10 things that make me happy. i would include reading a write up like this one! really made me smile.. very nice.. :)
ReplyDelete@Prashanth: wow! what a nice comment! Thank YOU Prashanth
ReplyDelete@Nona: am sorry but i didn't get you Nona. i can write but you cant write - is that what you meant? scratching my head :(
@Shruthi: that's so sweet Shruthi,thank you dear :)
ReplyDeleteU make me stop & think about the 10 things that make me feel good. Thanks for helping me stop n think in this world of chaos & haste.
ReplyDeleteYou brought out the beauty of small things. And, you still fit in the dresses of yesteryears :) You're very lucky:) Loved reading it and now, I have a smile on my face!
ReplyDeleteLovely! Few things that matters most in life, love and relationships. Be special and caring as you are and always remain so. My best wishes.
ReplyDeleteYour posts are beautifully written and sets chain of thoughts in readers mind which prompts them to comment..So instead we must be thankful to you for the time you dedicate to post
ReplyDeleteNice post....
ReplyDeletethough at times it is not so easy to list out only ten things that give us pleasure but you did it nicely....:)
This is a very good list Sujatha... Those moments should be completely cherished. Glad to know you have a smile easy character. After all, why should we save those smiles in our inner heart? Lets throw out at everybody :)
ReplyDeletePS: That kids pic is sooo cute and compels me to return to my childhood. And you've a very lovely family:)
Great read!
10/10 :D I could agree sooo many more to it but ur list is very apt nonetheless :)
ReplyDeletekindness of complete strangers and making others smile top my list somehow!
sarah
I agree with all of them completely..!!!! :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great list - I could identify with so many of them (except fitting in the clothes from yesteryear :)) Really wonderful!!
ReplyDeleteWonderful list..very practical and easy to experience.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing.
hi
ReplyDeletethe thing in life is it is often the simple things that make us more happy than the costly things ... and the people who realise this are happier ...
got to write on this topic soon
regards
haroon
Bravo for fitting in your yesteryear clothes. Can I say I am a little envious? ;) Nice reflection on life post!
ReplyDeleteWhat shall I say? Very emotional list. !!!! Stating the simple things that makes one happy is so sentimental. Great job.
ReplyDeleteRewinding and reminiscing the moments that make you feel good is in itself a precious moment that makes you forget everything and smile inside. Beautifully written!
ReplyDeleteWonderful list of things that make you feel good, the 7th point about your daughter really touched my heart. Beautiful ..
ReplyDeleteWow Sujatha, these 10 things that you've listed down are some of the best possible things to experience in ones life. I can see the happiness and pleasure you dwell into , through your simple and humble post. Nicely written. And lady you have maintained your figure.. :D .. Kewl....
ReplyDelete@Rituparna: “the world of chaos & haste”….. Hmmm…. yeah. Guess it’s all the more reason to feel good that we’ve people who love us a lot.
ReplyDeletethank you for coming & sharing your thoughts :)
@Saru: now that you’ve said it, it just flashed me that none of the things were “bought” except the shampoo & stuff & maybe the money spent on movies. The rest are really the “small things.”
@leopaw: thank you so much leoPaw for taking the time to read the post & of course,for the lovely comment
@Vinod: aah! I will cherish these words from you
@Irfan: yes Irfan you are so right. There are many many more things. Keeping it to 10 was a bit tough
@Anand: I was imagining that –throwing out the smiles at everybody & for some reason i was also saying,"here catch it,le lo pakad lo". :))) nice thought :)
ReplyDelete@Sarah: yes, when others smile because of what you said or did, it sure feels gooood
@Deepthi: thank you dear :))
@Anjuli: thank you Anjuli, am glad you liked it.
@Santosh: thanks for noticing that – the list being ‘easy to experience’.
Thank you for stopping by & taking the time to post your comment
@haroon: yes, you should write, would love to read your post Haroon
ReplyDelete@Kiran: thank you Kiran. Haha … Sathya envies it too but will never show or admit it & that gives me a high. Evil me :)
@A: thank you A :). Actually I was trying hard not to go the mushy way. Wanted to keep it light.
@Raj: strange that you should say that because it did happen that way. While writing this, I could sense the warmth & was smiling
@Aakash: thank you Aakash. A child’s tender, trusting hands on you – it’s a different feeling. Sometimes I wish I could put it in a nice poem but kya karen, poetry just isn’t my cup of tea :((
@Ashwini: thank you Ashwini :)) smiling o smiling :)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful Sujatha! The simplest pleasures in life are times spent with family and friends.
ReplyDeleteYour post reminded me of one of my favorite songs From Sound of Music.."These are few of my favorite things". Great one touches the heart. I envy you for fiting into your yesteryears clothes :-).
ReplyDeleteYes life is great when one feels loved "Tera haath haath mein hai agar to safar hi asle hayaat hai, Mere har kadam pein hain manzilien tera saath ghar mere saath hai"
Same Pinch to all of those :D Except
ReplyDeletepoint 4 I am very Jealous Sujatha!!!!!!!!!!! :(
:) Happy that all these things are making your life wonderful!
:) great stuff yaar...just would like to add one point from my side..walking in a slight drizzle :) on a weekend morning :D
ReplyDelete@Kirti: what beautiful lines - "tera haath ..."
ReplyDeleteKirti, have you changed the look of your site? when i right-clicked on your name, it took me to a different page & then from there i clicked the blog button & came to the page i usually see - one with the coffee mug & your posts.
first time i saw the opening page - lots of things to go through there.is it a new addition or did i miss it somehow earlier?
@Rachna: yes, friends & family do make all the difference in our lives.
ReplyDelete@Ramya: finally something you are jealous of me!! yay yay :) !! it was always the opposite case, i was the jealous one :(
@India's: ummm...yeah that too...but in the evening for me ... pls :)
@Wonderful blog you have:)
ReplyDelete@Rekha: thank you so much
ReplyDeletewell... made me think about my top10 reasons for happiness :)
ReplyDeletebreakfast is mostly prepared by someone else... :) hmmm...yes i do get emotional when reading old letters, postcards, emails, sms, picture albums... and when i watch a movie or song, sometime it does make me cry as i feel so nostalgic about these things...
Sujatha : one things most similar is cloth fitting one. my hubby's cloth do dont fit in few months..and i do fit in my years older cloths even if i gain wt :D:D
ReplyDeleteand all the points do make me feel good.
PS:i changed the blog fonts size and removed word verification..i wish that u could drop in once and tell me abt it..once..plz :) sujatha..so long time i didnt notice abt the font size there.and no one bothered to say it too.am so thankful to u after u said, only i checked to find it 12 or 13 size!!!!
Wonderful analysis
ReplyDeleteWow what a listtt .and meeting someone after 18 years NOW THAT IS LOVELY oh man I want to go hom and meet all my friends ... You know I dont have many friends here in uk but back home it ws always a large group ...
ReplyDeletewhat movies was that ...
and hey hey hey now heres a surprise I can get into the same jean i wore in 2002 :) :) :) yayyyyyyyyyy
lovely points yes os true as u mentione one shud know how to cry and laugh .. I laugh and cry all the time :)
Bikram's
oh there are thousands i bet...life is beautiful...I like Jim Carey too:)
ReplyDeleteCheers!
SUB
khonjtheeternalsearch.blogspot.com
Hey Sujatha those lovely moments of urs is making me smile too..! I loved those pics, especially the last one, ur kids face in it is damn cute.. :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post, I dunno how I missed it earlier....but I loved all of those points...superbb !!!
ReplyDeleteenjoyed reading it with beautiful pics
ReplyDelete@Israr: ditto :)
ReplyDeleteexcept the breakfast bit - lucky u :))
@Chitra: aha so there is one person here sharing the clothes experience with me :)) happy!
sure Chitra will visit. my pleasure.
@Team G: thank you :)
@Bikram: jeans of 2002! that's like 9 years! great!
ReplyDeletea large group back in India - am sure you miss them a lot - all the fun & chatting :)
@Sub: yes, 100s of things but i consciously wanted to keep it short & not go on & on with my kahaanis :). Isliye just 10!
agree Jim Carey too. he is hilarious
@KP: yeah, that's my fav snap of Tanvi too, she is at her naughtiest best in it
ReplyDeletethank you KP
@Anjali: i am happy you liked it, thanks :)
@SM: thank you :)
Nice...........! Visit my blog and leave your valuable comment and feedback my friend.........! :) :) :)
ReplyDeletehttp://gadgtechworld.blogspot.com/
@Rasheed: k
ReplyDeleteStumbled upon your blog from another blog.Very well written
ReplyDelete@Padhu: welcome to my blog Padhu. I am glad you liked the post :). see you more often
ReplyDeleteHello Sujatha - these are a few of my favourite things....
ReplyDeleteIf iam not wrong these thoughts just poured out of your heart like a torrent, a gushing river- so spontaneous!
please elaborate on the style of writing?Hello Sujatha - these are a few of my favourite things....
If iam not wrong these thoughts just poured out of your heart like a torrent, a gushing river- so spontaneous!
please elaborate on the style of writing?
Very well written Sujatha! Reunions are fun, we had a great college silver jubilee one in 97 and next year we are planning the 40th. Here's a secret, no matter how many years, they melt in 5 minutes as you get used to the new physical appearance, inside most people remain the same...always a joy to read your stuff:)
ReplyDelete@specs buffy: how nice of you to have noticed that! yes, it gushed but later i tended to the spellings & my commas before publishing it :)
ReplyDeletethe style of writing is, it tells you which famous writer your writing matches with or is similar to. on the right hand side,can you see the link "I Write Like...". Pls click on that & you will know about your style too.
i realized today there are variations within the different posts. so for each post, i am checking up with the link & mentioning it at the end. It's just for me to know. curiosity :)
@Satish: thank you Sir! yes, deep inside i guess we remain the same :)
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely love it Sujatha....u made the day...
ReplyDeleteGood compilation. I am able to connect with many of them. For example a kind gesture from a complete stranger in a new city- being in foreign land, I experience this often. The elaborate breakfast, I doubt whether anyone will disagree with that.
ReplyDeleteI loved your post Sujatha.It was fun,going through all points and saying same pinch.Heheheheh..I love it when I can connect myself with anyone while reading things coz it offeres you a fresh perspective over certain things.I love intimate blogs a lot and this was one of them.
ReplyDeleteLove this post! The picture of you with your family is priceless!
ReplyDeleteSo sweet..good one!!!
ReplyDelete@reacharcs: such a sweet comment, thank you :)
ReplyDelete@Hariharan: thank you Sir.
it is indeed very gratifying when strangers are kind to you.
@Suzaan: :))))) - this says it all right?
@Boobies: yes, this snap is one of my fav too esp for Tanvi's mad expression in it :)
@Rahul: thank you rahul ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks for share friend nice !!!Add Facebook Like and send button easily to blogspot.
ReplyDelete@Anil: thank you Anil
ReplyDeleteIt is so inspiring to read through a person's simple ideas to make life worthy...How innocent you have been through this post..
ReplyDeleteKudos!
so beautifully written. u look so petite and pretty :)
ReplyDelete:))
ReplyDeleteYou can be the best cook in the whole wide world and yet, tea prepared by someone else for you tastes so good! Yup, totally dig buffet breakfasts at resorts.
Cheers
@Nishana: that is such a sweet thing to say. thank you Nishana.
ReplyDelete@Archie: :)) - that's my widest smile! thank you Archie
@Manreet: yes, absolutely so Manreet. thank you for responding to the post:)
very well compiled. well written.
ReplyDeleteCouldn't help but agree with you on most points...especially the old- clothes- fit- so-well thing! The pleasure derived is unbelievable...lol
ReplyDeleteCame here via Indivine to purely promote my latest blog post and I didn't even read this post. I know! How very shameless of me. But I promise one thing, you won't regret reading the latest post on the blog. Really, I started writing 6 years back and nowadays they no longer make my kind of blogs.
ReplyDeleteSo go ahead read :)
Thank you for allowing this space if this goes through the moderation that is :)
http://sanjukta.wordpress.com/blog/
Through your emotions of happiness I felt happy too. Thanx for sharing 10 beautiful things.
ReplyDelete@pramod: thank you for your nice words
ReplyDelete@priya: yes, Priya the pleasure from that small thing is incredible :)
@Neeraj: thank you Neeraj for that lovely comment :), m glad it made you happy
its so common to everyone...first point is my fav...I would like to keep on sleeping fr d entire day..
ReplyDeletehttp://ideas-forum.blogspot.com
@Soumyadeep: hahah me too...keep on sleeping & wake up to a lavish breakfast...bliss!!
ReplyDeleteIts 2 am in the morning and I came here again only to say thank you and that I still intend to read :)
ReplyDeleteBut I've been up all night and all day making my company's Facebook page.
So too damn sleepy now.
And since I mention I should give the URL of my company's Facebook page :P
But no more promotion :)
The name is Samyukta Media in case you care to find out though :)
voice from ur heart was like melody to my ears! though i read it from my eyes :P :)
ReplyDeletegood post! keep writing & smiling always :)
@Sowmya: that was such a nice comment!thank you Sowmya :)
ReplyDeleteyou know it takes courage to write with such honesty. thats wat i like about your posts.CHEERS!
ReplyDelete@madhav: thank you so much
ReplyDeleteYou get lots of comments!
ReplyDelete@Sathya: lucky haan ? you seem to be so surprised by it. why so?
ReplyDeleteSo beautifully written and thanks for visiting my blog and for the lovely compliments!
ReplyDelete@Asmita: thank you. any time :)
ReplyDeletehmm , nice one ..
ReplyDelete@Rajendra: thank you
ReplyDeleteVery heart warming post Ma'm. I am your great admirer. There are so many things in my life which puts a smile onto my face but I can't express them as beautifully as you can. :)
ReplyDelete@Akshay: thank you so much Akshay- huge compliment. M glad you liked the post :)
ReplyDeletevery beautiful post ...very simple n very deep nice to see Zeenaz pic wid u.. lovely
ReplyDeletethanks Sumy :) nang tumba khushi aga ide that u r reading me
DeleteSujatha - have you ever tried a traditional South Indian oil bath? It beats all the spas of the world!
ReplyDeleteok.
Deletebtw, who are you? no name, no face!!!!!
These are all the small things in life that matters much...:)
ReplyDeleteyes :)
DeleteSmall and lovely moments are what make life big! Awesome post, and i identify with 1,4 and 5 the most!
ReplyDeleteDo stop by my blog sometime :)
thank you :)
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DeleteHow beautifully you have expressed about the best moments and things you love,Very well written and loved reading it. KPN Travels
ReplyDeletethank you :)
DeleteIt is such simple things in life , that makes life really wonderful. You have captured the very essence of life, and I could totally relate to everything you had expressed.
ReplyDeletethank you Rama.
Deletei am sorry I saw this comment you had left a month back just now.