14,000 Things to Be Happy About

I love pithy sayings, one-liners, quick quotes, words to live by, inspirational things. This book is chock full of things I love...molasses sweet bread, reveling in time alone, sandalwood, snow globes, plush over-sized bath sheets, shoofly pie, hotel rooms equipped with terry-cloth robes, champagne and orange juice with bacon and eggs, squirrels building nests low in trees, book stores, libraries, ocean view, licorice, rice krispy treats, nanaimo bars, bell bottomed jeans, peasant blouses, movie popcorn, drive-in movies. I bought this book in 1990 and I read it with pen in hand and put a check mark beside each of my favourite things. I also wrote my husband's name beside things I knew were his. Today as I read the book, again with pen show more in hand to add new check marks I see an X beside some and I wonder...who was that person. I know it was not me because the choices are not mine. It is female because she chose sling back pumps. The only one I can imagine is my mother and her choices give me pause...we have a number in common but so many seem strange to me and make me think about the sides of my mother I never knew/saw. She is no longer with me and this is like seeing her again. show less

As stupid as it sounds, this list of little things that make you smile (like ice cream sandwiches, hawaiian shirts and other items, places, tastes and smells) inspired me so much I not only went through and marked all the ones that made me smile, I also started my own lists. It's true that sometimes it's just the littlest things that mean the most.

Brilliant but simple concept. I haven't pulled this book off the shelf in years, but I have many fond memories of reading random pages while I was courting my wife in college. To this day I still list random things to be happy about at the bottom of emails and letters that I send her.

This book has sentimental value for me, but I'd love it even if it didn't. It is exactly what it says: a list of 14,000 to be happy about. I enjoy reading from random pages every now and again. Probably a good book for a gift, or a treat for oneself.

I thought this book would make me happy, but it really annoyed me. The list includes things I don't have but I desperately want. Lots of food. And many things I couldn't care less about. This book just didn't do it for me.

Cute. Some things confuse me a bit as to why someone would be happy about them, but cute nonetheless.

Clearly I'm happier about other things :)