166 things to smile about (and counting)

  1. the first squeeze of new toothpaste
  2. coming home from a holiday to an inbox full of new mail
  3. a perfectly ripe banana
  4. organizing your holiday photo albums
  5. getting a testimonial
  6. flights to italy for 15p
  7. booking a flight to italy on a whim
  8. having exact change
  9. air-conditioning indoors, a furnace outside
  10. having dinner reservations
  11. finding another mac user
  12. arranging books on new shelves
  13. a pool to oneself
  14. giant chocolate chip cookies. in boxes of 5.
  15. making plans
  16. new beginnings
  17. being overchanged
  18. giving back the extra change
  19. getting more than you asked for (out of a vending machine)
  20. hammocks
  21. free mints with the bill
  22. cartwheels (the acrobatic variety)
  23. coming home to an empty house
  24. bookstore cafes
  25. new bubble wrap
  26. packed lunches
  27. enormous cushions
  28. different breakfast cereals
  29. a steaming bath
  30. hot noodles
  31. "just one more slice"
  32. going for a walk
  33. Van Gogh
  34. waterbeds
  35. going for a run
  36. ripple effects of kindness
  37. feeling rooted, centered
  38. in-flight movies!!
  39. a gentle touch
  40. talking by a fireplace
  41. deep-down happiness
  42. arched doorways
  43. arriving at the airport
  44. ancient ruins
  45. wearing your favourite earrings
  46. fresh snow
  47. climbing a hill
  48. seeing Paris from the air
  49. seeing San Francisco from the air
  50. cozy old inns
  51. hot hot cross buns slathered with butter
  52. when hiccups stop
  53. keeping a journal
  54. playing computer games late into night
  55. playing board games late into night
  56. talking late into the night
  57. comb-binding your essay
  58. chiffon cake
  59. Japanese rice bowls
  60. giving up diets
  61. smelling a freshly-bathed baby
  62. choosing what courses to take next year
  63. shippers who really do handle with care
  64. writing in cursive
  65. the crunch of snow underfoot
  66. lazy mornings
  67. lazy rainy mornings
  68. visiting friends on the weekend
  69. plump red grapes
  70. ready-cut fruit
  71. warm water on a cold face
  72. cold water on a warm face
  73. music from a grand piano
  74. playing a grand piano
  75. photos of outer space
  76. second helpings
  77. playing with a Slinky
  78. free samples at the supermarket
  79. a healing scab
  80. a nice dream
  81. waking up buried in someone's arms
  82. a jukebox of oldies
  83. wood smoke on a cold winter morning
  84. booth seats at a restaurant
  85. colourful mittens
  86. finding a seat in a crowded place
  87. unscheduled time
  88. sheep resting in the shade
  89. black eyeliner
  90. long shadows from candlelight
  91. a night for stargazing
  92. getting the hug you need
  93. someone to love
  94. delighting someone
  95. natural rock formations
  96. blue skies like glass
  97. furry slippers
  98. chocolate
  99. a big table for doing homework
  100. scented baths
  101. child-sized chairs
  102. a sunny winter day
  103. waking up in a luxury hotel
  104. winning a scholarship
  105. epiphanies
  106. a romantic weekend
  107. a good book
  108. working without distraction
  109. loyalty
  110. long, hot shower
  111. when everything fits in your backpack
  112. black and white photography
  113. a day in an art museum
  114. when someone else does the dishes
  115. orange segments
  116. classical music with dinner
  117. jazz
  118. deliberately being spontaneous
  119. wholewheat bread
  120. finding something was exactly where you thought you left it
  121. a child engrossed in colouring
  122. talking to your sweetheart
  123. books that you wish wouldn't end
  124. blossom trees
  125. a fire in the fireplace
  126. climbing a tree
  127. giving your eyes a rest
  128. all-you-can-eat buffets
  129. salmon-coloured sunrises
  130. vermillion sunsets
  131. a lone violinist
  132. children's books
  133. ice-cold juice
  134. mixed couples
  135. praise from someone you respect
  136. dandelion fluff
  137. messy sandwiches
  138. warm dinner plates
  139. silly dancing alone in your room
  140. beautiful ancient maps
  141. hopping up and down and clapping your hands to yourself with glee after being assaulted by a brilliant idea or a memory of greatness
  142. moonglow on tarmac
  143. free art exhibitions
  144. those pale clouds that burgeon prettily when you pour milk into tea
  145. unexpectedly cheap theatre tickets
  146. making plans
  147. knowing exactly where that quote you're looking for is
  148. making time to stare into space
  149. grapefruit knives
  150. getting real, handwritten mail
  151. meeting someone startling
  152. watching someone read gleefully
  153. old people holding hands
  154. nesting swans
  155. cracks in the sidewalk that are exactly one pace apart, so you can step between them without lunging or mincing (in short, without looking foolish)
  156. when the blue sky bleeds nearly all the way to the edges of your vision
  157. spinning round and round on an empty lawn
  158. clothes hot from the dryer
  159. burying face in #158
  160. when babies gurgle
  161. curling your bare toes into cool, freshly cut grass
  162. watching water
  163. watching bread rise in the oven
  164. old people acting like children
  165. whizzing downhill on a bicycle
  166. #165, when there is a traffic light at the bottom of the hill and it turns green JUST IN TIME for you to sail over the junction without stopping