How many times in a day?

We all remember the follies in the day - the things that went south. But how many times do we think about all of those little moments that we are delightfully amused? Having trouble thinking of some? Here are some examples:

• Succumbing to the persistence of the 9-year old who wants to watch Marmaduke.  Then giggling all the way through the movie...and a few days afterward. (Who can't laugh at a farting dog?)
• An aha! moment in which you decide to either demolish or paint your kitchen orange.
• A remark by your hubby. You're both reminiscing on those years of marriage when the babies were young - and how stressful they were! "What?" says hubby, with his sly smile. "I don't remember it being particularly stressful?" No, I don't suppose he does. But at least now, his remark sets me laughing...instead of crying.
• A study in the WSJ informing me that adding more cheeseburgers is good for one's cognitive health! (Something about a B12 deficiency....yada yada yada...) I'm quite certain I've lacked in cheeseburgers my entire life! I knew it....I just knew it.
• Recognition of a word like "supercilious." Don't know it? Think Mrs. Olsen in Little House in the Prairie. Wow, that dates me, doesn't it? Or Meryl Streep in Devil Wears Prada. Or Professor Snape in Harry Potter. Get the idea?
• A Fleetwood Mac song.
• Reading a poignant passage from a book or a newspaper that so clearly brings home a point, you are compelled to share with the world. Like this one from Roy Peter Clark in Writing Tools:  "The best work calls the reader's attention to the world being described, not to the writer's flourishes. When we peer out a window onto the horizon, we don't notice the pane, yet the pane frames our vision just as the writer frames our view of the story." Brilliant. He also precautions - beware of the writer who dwells in hyperbole...unless he's using it to be funny. I'm starting to drone, aren't I?
• Being told by your often sullen teenage daughter, "Mom, look! I'm happy!" (That's verbatim, and without her usual scathing sarcasm.)

Tonight on the way home from a stimulating tax appointment, we found ourselves amidst a snow shower. Besides the fact that it had not been predicted and it was getting a bit slick, I found myself mesmerized by the snowflakes and the tranquility of the snow-covered fields. Instead of being put-out by the weather, I felt strangely at peace, enjoying the sight before me.

That's when I started thinking about all these moments. In addition to the tranquility, a bit of gratitude transcended. Anyway, I highly recommend going outside, right now - becoming transfixed by the snow shower and making a list of all those moments that made you happy. Hope you don't melt!