Which of life's simple pleasures bring you a lot of happiness?

[Teddy6767]

I'm someone who has had a pretty crap time in life in my earlier years.
Things are a lot better these days and I now have such an appreciation for all the small things that others might take for granted.
Some include -
Cuddles with my cat,
Laughing hysterically in bed with my handsome DP,
An evening to myself where I can catch up with all my favourite programs,
Home cooked lasagne (especially the crispy bits)
Enjoying a gin and tonic in the garden on a sunny day with my family.

My life is far from perfect. I don't have much money and I don't enjoy my job. But taking the time to find joy in the little things has really made me feel so much more content.

I'd love to hear what simple pleasures you all love ❤️

I've been thinking about this recently. I grew up very poor and am now a high earner and I spend my days Being cautious about money and recently I've decided life is too short and it's time to just enjoy life and to stop this.

Making that first cup of coffee in the morning and appreciating where I am and where I live.
A text from my daughter saying "I'm off to bed now, love you"or "morning mum you ok?"
My daughter, just that, I love her.
Good friends coming over and drinking too much wine, eating good food , dancing , singing and falling over laughing.
Sunny days and flowers in the garden blooming.
A kind word,,,giving or recieving.
My husband, no matter how shit I look or how badly I behave he looks at me every day and says you look lovely and I love you.
Being able to book that holiday, or buy that jacket and not worry about it.

OP, this is a lovely thread. I have depression and focusing on small pleasures massively helps.

Mine are:
cuddles with my cat
hugs with DC and DH
fresh coffee in the morning
looking out at the garden, watching the birds and the blossom
glimpses of wildlife in the fields beyond our garden - deer and foxes
walking and talking in the woods near our house with a friend
talking in silly voices with DH
hot bubble bath, sometimes by candlelight
the smell of newly washed bedlinen, dried in the sunshine

Driving into a petrol station and finding a vacant pump
Coronation street on the telly
Clean sheets
My mum phoning for a chat
Cava
Getting my summer clothes out of the loft
Poached egg on toast for my weekend breakfast
Vimto
Watching the cat relax in the sunshine
Bubbles in the bath

I have a very small garden but right now in spring it's full of pink flowers and white blossom and it looks and smells so beautiful.
Picnics.
Sunshine.
Making things.
Homemade chips.
My daughter - everything about her is wonderful.

Home made cappucino (its only a basic machine, free on Tesco points, but the novelty hasn't worn off yet)
Cat lying on my chest
Steak, salad and jacket potato
Fruit bread toast with a boiled egg and fruit for breakfast
Going round a supermarket on my own, or indeed any time on my own
Going to Norfolk for the weekend (Dh into birdwatching) and going to the same places

Evening birdsong
The smell of summer rain
Snuggling in bed with my DSs
Swimming in a river
That random warm and sunny day you always get in early March which reminds you that spring and summer will come again
A sleepy "I love you too Mummy"

Birdsong is wonderful
Ducks - we live near a park and feeding them and talking to them when they come into my tiny garden makes me ridiculously happy
Spring blossom and flowers - lilac!
Hearing my DH do a proper belly laugh or high pitched giggle when he is watching tv downstairs and thinks no one can hear him
My daughters - they are wonderful and I love their confidences and funny asides
My cats
Spotting a wild animal doing its thing makes me deliriously happy - squirrels, otters, kingfishers
Walking at night on my own

How my feet feel after I’ve got out of the shower. It’s not so much a feeling of having clean feet, more as though the skin has been hydrated and is all cushiony and bouncy. Lovely feeling that lifts my spirits. Doesn’t last long enough, though.

Watching the birds in the garden. The best are the sparrows who use the tall and deep privet hedge like an apartment block. A bunch of them fly into the hedge, then poke their heads out, at various levels, and tweet at each other, as though they’re out on their balconies having a good gossip.

I like learning about science stuff. There have been times when someone, either in a TV documentary or in a book, has used just the right words to explain and I got to understand at long last. It’s almost like a mental orgasm.

I've discovered 'spring' is mine. I relish and savour the longer days, warmer day, more sunshine, daffodils, lambs, blossom, a feeling of new starts and optimism, long Easter holidays which are far more relaxing than Christmas, family time without the stress or pressure of having to buy expensive gifts and get them wrapped, oh and the sunshine again!

Also the sea, but I don't get to see it as often as I'd like, so I charge up with an intense two weeks!

Walking in the countryside.
Hearing the birds sing
A good cup of coffee
A new book

Cuddling my dog.
Watching him run around like a puppy in excitement at somewhere.new. He's 15 this year but still so sprightly. I lap up the sight of him in the knowledge that I won't get many more times like that.
A morning cuppa in bed without actually needing to leave my bed (wonderful new hot water dispenser) with the window open and the birds singing.
That achy, heavy feeling after hard exercise when you know you've really earned the weekend wine.
A cool spring evening in the garden with friends and the chimenea - roll on tomorrow.

Lovely thread...

Loving that a lot of the answers are related to animals ❤️

I love this thread! I've remembered some other things:

A nice pen to write with (I write a lot at work, usually in cheap biros but occasionally get fancy)
Lemon drizzle cake when it's still warm
The way some people screw their eyes up when they smile - my dad, DH and DD1. And one of my lovely colleagues. The best kind of smile!!! Esp my dad because he has crows feet so it's like an amplified effect

When the work canteen has something delicious for meal of the day!

Realising a new series of a favourite tv show is going to start.

Having no plans all day. Don't get lazy days like that often, but when I do I'm always so happy that my biggest decisions rest on what film I should put on, or what magazine I should read in the bath.

basted I feel like that about spring, just love everything about it.

I used to always say watching my children sleeping, for over ten years I went up to 'check' on them about 11pm and always had an 'ahhh' moment- now they are too old, I love that they come and give me a kiss and a huggle before we all go to bed at the same time!

Lovely thread 😊

Mine are

That quiet time in the morning before everyone else is up.

School holidays means less traffic in rush hour - I am a rep so live on the road.

First sip of coffee/tea in the morning

Watching country file with my DP

OMG I Sound old lol

Love this list .
Having a red hot bubble bath then getting into bed with fresh sheets on 😍
Being surrounded by vast fields and farms - I've lived in the countryside 3 years now and the novelty's not worn off yet.
When a food shop has just been delivered and the fridge is full of goodies.
When my daughter tells me she loves me completely unprompted.
That first cup of tea on a morning.

The smell of spring
Hearing the first cuckoo of the year
Getting into freshly washed sheets after I've had a shower
Poachy egg on toast
The way my mums dog gets so excited when I go round
The blossom trees on bloom that I walk under on my way to and from work
Feeing my baby kick and knowing we're so close to meeting.

The way my boys smell

Even now they are teenagers. Love it.

Cuddles with my daughter. She's 18months and when she cuddles me and kisses me it makes me heart genuinely leap.

Thinking about my mum. Remembering how she smelled. Hearing her beautiful voice in my head and knowing how much she loved me.

Some more lovely answers

Another one I've thought of:

Receiving an unexpected text from my boyfriend with a message telling me how much he loves me.

Where I live we are surrounded by woodland. Hand on heart, one of my greatest pleasures in life is looking out the bedroom window and seeing the greenery change day by day; from barren skeletal branches in the winter into lush green foliage in the summer. The light and the colours change every day and it gives me such pleasure. And the squirrels are very entertaining too!

Thanks OP for starting the most uplifting thread I think I've read on here! Mine are:

Coming back from a summer holiday at the start of September, when Autumn approaches and the TV schedules are packed with great stuff.

Walking my 10yr DD to school holding hands (that's all going to end soon...)

Kissing my DD's gerbils' heads when they come and greet me. They are so beautiful and refined for rodents!

The first glass of wine of the evening with my DH - usually at about 9.45pm these days!

Chatting with friends in our lovely local cafes. Or equally sitting alone in one reading a book or my phone.

Visiting my brilliant sister in London with one of my DCs. Although central, she has an incredible wild garden with a number of foxes, which she feeds.

Hope these are simple enough!

I often feel like I must be going through my 'shit/hard point in life' as a single mother to a 2 year old, working for minimum wage so even with tax credits etc. I'm always skint and living in an area where I know very few people so don't have much of a support network.
So it's the little things that I look for to get me through and make me smile;

Cuddles in bed with DS and our dog.

Monthly trips to the cinema which DS loves.

Long hot baths reading a book when DS is in bed.

Living a stones throw away from a huge forest so we've always got somewhere to go for a nice walk.

Lazy PJ and Disney days when I'm not working and the weather is crap, these are lovely with DS but still just as great when I'm on my own whilst he's at his dad's