Monday, April 30, 2012

Unreasonably Happy - Part I

Life is all about finding happiness in the little things. Everyone can find happiness in the big things - family, friends, food. And that's all well and good. But the cherry on that sundae can often be found elsewhere.

There are a number of things that make me "unreasonably happy", meaning that whatever they are ignite a level of happiness in me that is disproportional to the things themselves. If it helps you, imagine a kind-of funky backwards version of Newton's law of motion. It may be true that for "every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction" but in terms of my life, some things cause more of an "unequal and unreasonable reaction".

Won the lottery? Sure, jump up and down on that chair. Leaving on an all-expense paid trip to Bermuda tomorrow? You're entitled to some high fiving. The girl behind the hoagie counter just made you a meatball sub? Not so much. Which leads me to my first concept.....

Anything Between Two Pieces of Bread

I will generally opt for a sandwich over almost any other menu item. Whatever it is can easily be tripled in value by being stuffed into a hoagie roll or tossed into a pita pocket. So why skimp on the good stuff? I am usually pretty health-conscious, but everyone has their weaknesses. Carb it up. I will often incorporate a sandwich into all three meals of my day - sometimes that's accidental, more often it's absolutely not. Sandwiches truly fill me with glee. And carbs.

 Several Green Lights in a Row

Behind the wheel, I experience the full spectrum of emotion. Plenty of people get road rage when stuck in traffic or behind some idiot going 30 in the passing lane, and I'm certainly no exception. The difference is... as angry as I may get after hitting every red light, I get twice as happy when I come across a rare never-ending string of greens. It's like the universe is creating a gloriously lit path from me to my destination with no obstacles whatsoever. I might as well be atop a parade float escorted by a motorcade of police cars and giant balloons. And then of course I hit the inevitable gridlock. It was fun while it lasted.

Transforming After Work

It is one of my greatest joys to come home after a long day of work and slip into something "more comfortable". Society tells me that if I want to be an educated contributor to society, I need to follow a certain dress code. Fine. I'd rather wear a hoodie, but fine. All this means is that no matter what the day or circumstance, I will walk in the door at the end of the day and make a beeline for that wrinkled pile of college hoodies by my bed. I do this almost as a silent revolt against those clothes I've been made to wear and have just pulled off my body in a fit of triumph... much like those Adidas pants with the snaps all down both legs. I make it a point to become as socially unacceptable as possible in the least amount of time. Apparently, there are two identities - Ms. Moses (Dr. Jekyll), the well-groomed professional elementary teacher and Jilly (Mr. Hyde), the hermit in baggy clothes eating a Hot Pocket in bed.

Ticonderoga Pencils

These things never cease to make me smile. Just a pencil, you say? How dare you! It's more than that; it's.... well, yes, it's a pencil. But the eraser actually does its job and the graphite is the smoothest in all the land. So judge me if you'd like, but a brand new box of these yellow wonders makes me unreasonably giddy.


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