Little Things (that cost very little) That Make Me Happy

Is anyone else starting to feel (or been feeling, perhaps for a while now) in a funk?

We – many of us – are a bit stuck, I think. Stuck at home, stuck being alone/without-loved-ones-nearby, stuck in a mode{s} we don’t necessarily prefer when it comes to work, stuck financially, stuck for what to make/order for dinner, etc.

I’m feeling a bit of that myself, and since I typically am not patient with feeling stuck – in any way/shape/form, because control freak (naw, you’d never guess, I know — I hide it so well!) 😛 – I am reminding myself today that there are things in my life that I appreciate. Things that un-stick me. Things that make me happy.

And they cost next to nothing.

So here’s my list, in no particular order, of things that make me happy right now:

The Great Outdoors

Technically, this is/should be a free thing, but depending on where you live and considering that you might have to travel a ways to get to any form of nature, it’s not always that easy.

I love Love LOVE being outside in the summer sunshine though, and if I have to travel to get my nature fix, I’m more than willing to do it.

Ways I love to experience the outdoors – and imbibe the spirit of nature – without going broke:

• Take a hike in a state or national park/forest (the above photo was taken during one such trek) — Cost: $0-30 depending on permit requirements
• Visit a beach and/or walk the shoreline — Cost: $0-10 depending on cost of gas or bus fare and any paid parking/entry fee requirements
• Take the canoe and explore a river or lake — Cost: $0-25 depending on whether you already have the canoe (or kayak) and whether or not you have to travel to get to the body of water you want to explore + the cost(?) of physical exertion 😉
• Go for a bike ride around your local area — Cost: $0 as long as you have a bike
• Take a walk around your neighborhood — Cost: ABSOLUTELY FREE
• Sit on your deck/porch and observe the birds, squirrels, rabbits, dogwalkers, desperate-to-escape quarantine individuals, argumentative couples, and other strange animals unique to your locale — Cost: FREE
• Look out the window — Cost: a few minutes of your time

Food

Yes, yes, I know… Food can be an unhealthy thing, and many of us are feeling the long stretch of isolation in the way our sweatpants are overstretched around our waists.

BUT

Everything in moderation, right?

And for me, while I *do* enjoy eating as much as the next gal, I find food enjoyable in other ways too.

Such as:

• Searching through recipe books that have been sitting on my shelf for years to {a} look at the pretty pictures! (ooooh — YUMMY!) and/or {b} get ideas for how to creatively use random ingredients in my cupboards to make something great — Cost: $?… Someone paid for them at one time, I suppose, but since they’re in my possession already? FREE
• Same as above, using internet resources — Cost: Provided you have some kind of internet connection? FREE
• Baking — Cost: Whatever the ingredients cost you? But if they’re in your cupboards already? FREE
• Creating grocery lists (yes, I’m a list maker — does that surprise you?) 😉 — Cost: FREE
• Making lunch for my hubby to take to work (he’s WORKING, y’all… it’s been a rollercoaster adventure, lemmetellya) — Cost: Well, I gotta buy groceries anyway, right? So while it might not be FREE this is pretty low cost.
• Picking the fruit off my orchard trees (I have apples and pears) to eat/donate/create-with — Cost: a little bit of time and muscle-reach extension work
• Writing down my food (or drink) memories, for myself, for the next generation, or for public consumption — Cost: a tiny bite of time and a smidgeon of creativity

Other Things (that don’t cost a thing!)

1. Letters — going through old ones, writing/sending new ones, receiving hand-written ones from loved ones
2. Organizing/Clearing Out — going through closets and catch-all spaces to clear out the clutter and Kondo-ize the shit out of my living space
3. Donating/Consigning — making money (cost = nothing!) {1} for myself on those closet items that I know others will enjoy via supporting small local consignment businesses, or {2} via donations of un-needed goods for 501(c)(3) organizations that have attached thrift/charity shops when I know an item can still be useful somehow, somewhere, for someone (just not for me anymore!)
4. Plants — I tend to the ones in my yard, yes. But bringing the outside indoors makes a huge impact on a living space! Since kitty has been gone (in case you missed it, he had to be put down recently — which began a holy-chaos-Batman! major overhaul of my home), we’ve been un-hiding our plants and all the green surrounding me makes me feel good!
5. Reading — I have admittedly been in a rather un-bloggy mode for the past month or so, primarily because of the events mentioned in #4, but I *do* enjoy reading, whether it’s ‘real’ (paper, bound) books or articles found online
6. Music — Always a go-to activity for getting un-stuck, music is one of my favorite forms of entertainment but also quite often my muse…

Which reminds me.

It’s almost September.

Shall we do this again?

Let me know your thoughts below, and

I’ll see yoooouuuuu…

…in Septemmmmber…

What makes YOU happy, hmmm?