Happiness is...

A variety of factors combined in such a way that I spent a lot of this weekend pouting: the weather was hot and disgustingly muggy, with random thunderstorms appearing out of nowhere (not that that's unusual for this time of year), most of my friends in the area were out of town or recovering from vacation and one of my closest friends on this coast - who still not only puts up with but actually feeds my Francophile-ness - moved several states south. I basically set my internal monologue to "whine" after my long run on Saturday and left it on repeat throughout the weekend.

That "there's nothing to do" mentality that, for me, accompanies this kind of pout-fest is one of my least favorite feelings in the world. I'm generally a pretty cheerful person, and getting stuck in that sort of mental funk drives me nuts (which somehow makes it worse, rather than making me snap out of it) and leaves me unfit company for anyone sane until it runs its course.

Fortunately, I woke up this morning in a much better mood and, despite being somewhat punchy from a morning run and commute in 85% humidity, I've been reminding myself of all kinds of things that put a smile on my face, which - surprise! - has succeeded in keeping one there. Here's my "happiness is..." list for today.

• Emails and IMs from friends around the globe. (And I'm once again resolving to be a better email correspondent, as a result.)
  
• My new Tropical Kiss lipstick and Prim and Copper gloss, discovered a couple of weeks ago at an Origins "Healthy Happy Hour" that a friend of mine won. The plant-based formulas make me feel better about using them, and the zingy mint in both is a definite pick-me-up.
• Photos of friends and family. I have a gazillion photos all over my apartment, but don't always focus on them, since I've kept most of them around my living space for years. One of my all-time favorites is of me and Gina on our last day of middle school, yearbooks in hand, arms around each other and huge grins on our faces (my braces, her retainer and all). I looked at it while I was putting on a pair of earrings this morning and had to grin back at our 14-year-old selves.
• Summer dresses, which in my opinion are among the most comfortable articles of clothing in existence.
  
• The "early" crew at work. The first group of my co-workers in the office most mornings is a happy, laid-back bunch that never fails to put a smile on my face. Let me tell you, that's a great feeling to start the workday with.
• Pilates tonight!
  
• Splash Zone. I'm sure that makes sense to absolutely no one, so: it's a Linda Arnold CD for kids with songs about sea life, from "That's a Habitat" to "That's A Moray." My niece sings the songs virtually non-stop, and I woke up with "Hold On and Go With the Flow" stuck in my head. Yes, it's a little odd for a 24-year-old to walk around humming "Hold on and go with the flow. That's what the rocky shore animals know!" but memories of my niece singing it at the top of her lungs are superimposed over the lyrics, and are hilariously cute.
• Nala's random sprints around the apartment, chasing a toy she's just found and had forgotten about.

What's on your list?