It's the little things

I recently asked myself the question ‘Am I depressed or do depressing things keep happening to me?’  I sat and thought about this for about a month before I actually uttered it out loud – and in that month I started mentally listing all the things that depressed me, which in itself was depressing, a double-bummer.

So inspired by a Bob Crampon article, I decided to list the stuff I like – a piece of positive thinking therapy if you will.

Bees, watching them, hearing them, clinging on to the quasi-Buddhist belief that I may come back as one.
Beating my daughters mates achievement scores on the Xbox (sorry Lucy, currently beating you by 130 on Skyrim, ha ha).
A new shaped pasta – grain pasta is this month’s fad.
Smoking, even though I haven’t in 5 years.
The postman holding an Amazon box.
Finding one of my special blue writing pens in the kids bedroom…with the lid still on.
Growing basil on my kitchen window.  My new bird feeder.
My latest phenomenon of waking up with a song I haven’t heard in years, stuck in my head (this was also on my depressed list as a sign of a possible brain tumour).
Smoked paprika, juniper berries, flaked rock salt, bread, frying Szechuan peppers for the pepper mill and adding Vermouth to pasta sauces.
Coltrane when I’m sad.
Coltrane when I’m happy.
Remembering something the wife forgot.  The year’s first daffodil.  The pennies that our house is full of.
The smell of a new bottle of washing up liquid and finding an awesome new recipe in a cookbook.
Having a garage for the first time in my life and filling it with man stuff.
The rest of the family considering the said garage as off-limits in deference to my masculinity.
Budleigh Salterton.
Cold pillows and warm towels.
Hearing the kids laugh every time I wake up and let one rip.  Letting one rip in general.
Looking back at a now clean room.  New taste buds.  Adidas trainers (black) ((always)).
Moleskine notebooks, stationary and new batteries.
Vinyl records on display.  Double glazing and thick walls. 
Saturday mornings spent watching a kids movie, followed by Saturday Kitchen, whilst still in my PJ’s.
Taking my shoes and socks off.  Big wine glasses, half full.
Ice cubes, vodka, limes and Russchian.
The first pint of a Saturday lunchtime.
BOGOF deals on something I actually need.
My harmonica not judging me for my awful attempts at learning to play it.
Wry smiles, a curious raised eyebrow and a barely suppressed laugh.
Lem Motlow, Gary Larson and Nelson Mandela.
Pointless websites and downloading new fonts.
Locks on toilet doors, autographs and autumn.
Trivial amounts of trivia.
Miso paste, thumb rings and a fresh razor blade (not together).
Planet Dork and their parachuting metal mice.
Wild expectations but never mine.  Crap magic by young children.
Eclecticness.
Red and White, fiddling with corks and Wild Wood.
Beeping strangers and then waving madly.  Finding short cuts.  Singing in the car…alone. 
Doing keepy ups and kicking footballs.
QT in HD with JD.
Being able to forward through adverts.

Writing this list.