Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week the theme was a Thanksgiving freebie: what we are thankful for.
I needed this theme this week! The year 2016 has not been the greatest year for me, at times, it has been downright miserable. I had surgery and was diagnosed with endometriosis in February; my husband was involved in a car accident in June when someone ran into him, and a dear friend and someone who was a mentor to me passed away suddenly in October. I won’t even go into the feelings brought about after the election.
It would be an understatement to say that I am counting down the days until 2017, with the hope that it will be a brighter year. Which is all the more reason why I need to take a moment to highlight all the great little things in life. The little things are vastly underrated, when in reality, they do so much to cheer and uplift.
Top Ten Little Things That Bring Happiness and Joy
- Comedians – Dave Chappelle, Jon Stewart, Tina Fey, Jimmy Fallon, Amy Poehler, Kate McKinnon, Ellen….they always bring out a laugh, even during the gloomy times.
- My cats – Isabel and Hello Kitty.
- Giving to others – Giving an extra pair of sneakers to the Tile Guy working on our bathroom renovation. M had a foot growth spurt in September, and she outgrew the sneakers we bought in August before she even wore them. I passed them on to the Tile Guy, who happens to be a single dad raising a 6-year-old. His daughter loved the shoes – win/win for everyone!
- Warm, sunny days – we have had a lot of them this autumn, and I appreciate every single one.
- Books – Of course this book lover will have books on the list! It would be so silly to think otherwise.
- My daughter’s first original composition – My 9-year-old wrote her own song, y’all! And it is such a fun thing to listen to.
- My Book Club – our book club is known as the LLC – Liberal Literature Club – and we always have great conversations when we get together.
- Netflix and Amazon Prime – When I feel like doing nothing else, I can always count on these two to come to the rescue.
- Ice Cream – the small-batch gelato at Va Da Vie in Charlotte, Ben & Jerry’s, or any one of the other many local ice creameries in our area. Yum.
- The Joe Biden memes – Oh, how they do make me laugh. We love you, Joe!
4thhouseontheleft 
Love your list! Congrats to your daughter, writing a song is hard and doing it at 9 is exemplary! I had an especially good laugh at the Joe Biden memes. They have been hilarious ever since the elections.
Thank you! Her song, The Circus, is actually up on SoundCloud if you want to take a peek!
Okay, so when you first mentioned it, I thought she wrote lyrics, but I didn’t realize she wrote music! I really enjoyed it. Apt title, it totally felt like a trip to the circus from anticipation and finding seats to watching the show. Well done!
I certainly hope 2017 will be a better year for you. I loved your story about the shoes that went to a new home – its little acts of kindness that can make someone’s day
Thank you…I hope so, too! When people seek out opportunities to help others as often as they can, it definitely makes our world a better place!
I agree that it helps to celebrate the little things, especially in tough times. Here’s hoping 2017 will be better than 2016! I love your list and I agree that the Joe Biden memes have been a highlight this year, they always manage to make me smile 🙂
Thanks! I had the amazing opportunity to meet Joe Biden briefly, a few months ago. He came into a Hillary campaign office here in Charlotte wearing Top Gun-style sunglasses and carrying donuts. He is such a genuinely good person.
Congrats to your daughter. That is really impressive. Great list and the Joe Biden meme made my afternoon!
Thank you! Her song, The Circus, is actually up on SoundCloud, if you wanted to take a peek. I posted a link in an above comment.
The Obama/Biden memes have kept me in stitches. I think I would have gone half nuts if it wasn’t for them here lately! Here’s my Thankful Fors
Your post made me laugh so much hahahaha
I LOVE Joe Biden memes too, and I can’t agree enough with ice cream and cats being on your list 😊
I love the Obama/Biden memes! They’re so great, my daughter and I read them and crack up.
I also love Netflix/Amazon Prime/Hulu. It’s what I do in the evenings. 😀
Netflix is a good one!!
Ha! The Joe Biden/Obama memes are hilarious! I love seeing those in my Instagram feed. ❤ I think that's so cool that your daughter wrote her own song, too! And of course, I agree with you 100% on ice cream, cats, Netflix, and the blessing that is Amazon Prime's two day shipping.
Netflix and ice-cream = perfection!
I very recently discovered Joe Biden memes and OMG I LOVE THEM! I had no idea there were so many, and they’re always so hilarious. And it’s amazing that your daughter composed her own song; I’m sure that the result was amazing. ❤
Great list! I agree the Joe Biden Memes are absolutely hilarious and have been helping to lift my mood on a daily basis.
Almost done with 2016, and it went so fast! I’m grateful for similar things! Yay for books!