30 Things That Make Me Happy

I’m a day late for this WordPress prompt but I’ve been meaning to write a post outside of my usual Friday series which I’m proud to announce has been running for 62 consecutive weeks. This prompt is perfect as I try to remain optimistic despite life’s challenges. Most days will not be extraordinary so it’s important to find joy in one’s daily routine. Ordinary days make it easier to appreciate the extraordinary ones, so here are 30 regular things which make me happy + a mid-year check-in post.

1. Sunshine. While it gets really hot in summer, I love the sun and feel a little gloomy when it’s overcast for too long.
2. Short afternoon rains. I love petrichor, the smell of rain.
3. Fresh flowers, either in the garden or as a bouquet.
4. Coming home.
5. Waterfalls.
6. The mountains.
7. Hiking in the mountains.
8. Knowing that the beach is an hour’s drive away.
9. My partner
10. Being able to provide a comfortable life for my family.
11. Live reggae music
12. The convenience of online shopping
13. A dependable car
14. My blog & WordPress community
15. Finding time to write (like now! 🙂 )
16. The hummingbird which visits my garden every morning
17. My other daily and occasional avian visitors: a Jamaican tody, bald pate pigeons, the sneaky ring-tailed pigeons, a mysterious owl, the noisy bananaquits, the noisy woodpeckers, the adorable parakeets and some other species which I haven’t yet identified.
18. Peace and quiet
19. A good laugh
20. Fridays.. even when I’m working through the weekend as usual.
21. Vacation days
22. Dessert
23. Fresh fruit
24. Christmas
25. The soothing country night sounds of crickets and frogs
26. The summer sound of cicadas
27. Having new experiences.
28. Dining out
29. Catching up with friends
30. Rarely needing to set an alarm as my sunny bedroom windows + the birds wake me early every morning naturally.

2024 So Far & What Lies Ahead

This year has been quite busy so I’ve posted less on social media, but am happy to maintain my blog writing streak of 62 consecutive Fridays. I have three more scheduled posts in the vault, so hopefully I’ll find the energy, time and motivation to write and schedule away a few more posts soon to maintain that streak. I haven’t done much domestic travel this year though so my posts have been mostly lifestyle themed. I hope my audience doesn’t mind that too much. My life is mostly work, eat, sleep, repeat these days so I have nothing travel-related to write about, sorry! All I’ve done this year in terms of local travel is:

• a Bluefields Organic Farm tour
• Revisiting Penfield Falls
• Revisiting Bob Marley Beach
• Occasionally heading out for live music, nightlife and 2 retro parties. Yup, that’s it! By now, I usually would’ve done at least a dozen activities but not this year.

I’m in my final year of residency, and it’s been dreadful but at least, the finish line is in sight. That’s the only thing which keeps me going… that and my vacation next month which will bring my country count from 5 to 7! Can you guess where I’m headed? I suppose having a vacation to look forward to is the best motivation to go to work, ha! After that vacation, I have to get down to business and work on my research paper once more so I can submit in time for final exams next spring. Other than that, life is pretty good. My partner and I are getting used to our new part-time job as Airbnb host. I’ll write about that experience eventually as it’s been interesting, to say the least. That’s my year so far in a nutshell. 🙂

Wrap Up

Thanks for reading and catching up with me for 2024 so far. Feel free to catch up further in the comments section. ‘Til next time, stay in touch with me here and don’t forget to subscribe:

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