What makes you happy?

It’s February, in a fake news, post-truth world in which one of The Simpsons' more imaginative plot lines has come to pass (Donald, of, USA, President, the, Trump, is, rearrange the words yourself because I don't want to write that sentence). Despite this I had a particularly happy week last week making a film. Every bit of the process makes me happy, from coming up with the idea, to selling it, researching it, writing it, shooting it and editing it, and it got me thinking about what makes other people happy. Here below are what friends and family told me, or texted me, when I asked them this question over the weekend. In their words.

Happiness is.

"The first few sips of a hot cup of tea."

"Being on my bike, newly washed, with an open road before me."

"My cat."

"Oh gosh, so many. I'll text you later."

"Saturday morning, some freshly brewed coffee, a croissant with jam, an unopened newspaper and Graham Norton on the radio."

"Cooking a meal for my family that they really enjoy."

"Finally getting round to taking that load of crap in the back of my car to the charity shop and finding something great in the charity shop on the way out."

"Computer games. They're decent."

"I've got three things. First, living in the city."

"Going for a circular walk in the countryside with a pub stop in the middle for a pint and sitting in front of a roaring fire."

"Putting my head on the pillow at night knowing all my kids are in the house and I don’t have to keep checking my fucking phone."

"Second, doing something fun with my teenagers" 

"Being in the car with my wife and three girls about to go on holiday, knowing they are all trapped in there with me for the duration."

"My daughter ringing me and asking what makes me happy, and sounding happy."

"Sex, obviously. Or do you mean something clean?"

"Coming home from work after the cleaner has been in and finding everything immaculate."

"Holidays. Especially that first glimpse of the sea."

"Watching Father Brown in the middle of the day while eating cheese with slices of apple."

"Wearing something new that I can't really afford and then taking it back and getting a full refund because I didn't remove the label." 

"Third, Saturday morning running in the park.

"Cutting my nails really short."

"It’s jamming with my band, and could you possibly just pop some money in my account for that train ticket?"

"Getting into a bed that has clean sheets and husband sidles over and says ‘mmm clean sheets,’ in a suggestive manner. Will that do?"

"I love to dance to music with one of the kids while I'm cooking in the kitchen, and I love putting my feet into the cold part of the bed."

"Also, I've got a friend here with me here and she says waggy tails on dogs."

"It has to be getting a seat on the tube at Balham in the morning, which pretty much never happens."

"Me again. Daughter says it's a full biscuit barrel."

"You can't beat coming across a fresh pair of socks that actually match."

"Driving with my husband in the passenger seat and getting to go my way instead of his way because there's nothing he can do about it."

"Finally getting tickets after I’ve been in one of those fucking stupid online queuing systems for hours." 

"Loving the book I'm reading so much that I don’t want it to end and then having to ration myself."

"Oh, and Husband says it's sailing."

"Waking up feeling knackered and suddenly realising it’s Saturday and then carrying on lying there. Bliss."

"That enough?"

"Hearing from one of my friends that my mother’s blog post doesn’t have a reference to me in it."

Love E x

@DOESNOTDOIT

P.S. "And you can put that in."