SIMPLE THINGS THAT DELIGHT ME...

What gives you 'joy'? What gives you 'delight'? I have listed down simple things that give me delight and I have come up with the following items listed at random... My objective actually was to come up with 100 things that delight me but I just realized I can only come up with 70+. Try to come up with your own list and see how far it will go....

1. Raindrops on a sunny day.

2. A park or field of flowers like the one I saw at Keukenhof in Netherlands.

3. A zoo of animals.

4. Atop a hill overlooking a valley and I am surrounded by the beauty of God’s creations…

5. Fireworks on display and viewed from afar.

6. A cool breeze touching my face and I try to close my eyes and savor it's freshness...

7. Driving my Nissan Sentra especially when it is shiny and newly waxed and smelling like brand new courtesy of California Newport New Car Scent.

8. A well-paved road (always a motorist’s delight).

9. Driving thru EDSA, Ortigas and C5 without the traffic. How exhilarating it must be!
10. Eating breakfast while reading my emails and messages from my computer. It's like hitting two birds with one stone....

11. An early morning Mass and an inspiring homily. It's always a delight to start your day nourished by God's word and the Eucharist...

12. A toothy grin from a small girl during the “peace-be-with-you” portion.

13. A “God-bless-you” from an old beggar after handing her biscuits through the car window.

14. Exchanging corny jokes or silly talks with my daughters.

15. Listening to the unstoppable, animated tales and ‘forum gossips’ from Nikki. You've finished with your meals and she has not even touched her food because she cannot stop from 'blabbering' out her 'stories'.

16. Listening to Noreen’s hospital adventures.

17. Reading my favorite book in the comfort of my CR. Kaya nga 'comfort room'.

18. Those few hours before bedtime when I find myself alone in my bedroom having my quiet time with my Lord and my God and I realize it is indeed so quiet because I have fallen into deep slumber....

19. Fuji apples, ‘miniature ponkans’ (whatever do you call them?) and rambutans.

20. Twin Popsies and rocky road ice creams.

21. Eating ‘Razon’s” halo-halo in Ortigas. [Nikki and I have been frequenting this outlet whenever we needed to 'refresh' and we end up shivering in the cold]

22. Having an occasional (very rare) breakfast with Noreen or whenever she needs to be treated out to some meals outside of her hospital surroundings. She really needs to be treated out once in a while these days....

23. Baguet bread or any 'hard-crusted-soft-inside' bread.

24. All kinds of omelet especially Spanish omelet which is a favorite.

25. Green salads.

26. Brewed coffee for breakfast.

27. Playing ‘dynomite’ on my computer and seeing that my score has surpassed that of Nikki’s. (Hey, that’s truly delightful!)

28. Playing ‘text twist’ on my palm pilot during ‘waiting periods’…. It prevents me from getting bored.

29. ‘Bloging’ my thoughts, ideas, reflections about life, people I love….

30. Watching ‘Game Ka Na Ba’ while having my lunch. It helps digest my food as I digest the various educational data I get to learn in the process.

31. Watching “The Buzz” on Sunday afternoons when I happen to be home.

32. Receiving calls from friends: best friends, long-lost friends, and long-time friends. I enjoy talking with people on the phone for as long as they do not try to sell me things I do not need. Maybe I should be in ‘call centers’, eh?

33. Sitting beside Nikki while she is posting on the ‘Shout Box’ of her On-line Forum and inter-active message board trying to ‘peep-in’. I always enjoy her repartee to the group.

34. Browsing over photos and photo albums especially Nikki’s self-portraits. I am the president of her personal fan's club....

35. Receiving meaningful gifts from friends and relatives: functional items that I wouldn’t care to buy but which I wouldn’t mind receiving.

36. Watching “feel-good” movies… that of Sandra Bullock, Reese Witherspoon, Meg Ryan, Hugh Grant and a lot more…

37. ‘Dell’ and ‘Penny Press’ Word Puzzle Magazines. I'd need them to exercise my brain's capacity. I'd hate to have Alzheimer's disease in my old age...

38. A full moon on a cloudless night. [It's my time to 'fly'...]

39. A starry, starry night… (not the Van Gogh painting).

40. The sounds of the sixties: Beatles, Neil Sedaka, Paul Anka, Herman’s Hermits, Cascades, etc. It always makes me feel young...

41. Abba and the Carpenters.

42. CD piano selections and music for meditations ….

43. Listening to Arnold Clavio and Ali Sotto on DZBB on my car radio especially their ‘jeng-jengan’ portion while driving.

44. The big ‘barquillos’ being sold by street hawkers.

45. My Hedgren shoulder bag - very compact.

46. My palm pilot (but of course! It's my dependable 'girl friday'.)

47. My cell phone. who wouldn't delight in this 'techie' item?

48. My books and DVD collections. It's a given...

49. Hearing Christmas songs being played in September.

50. Ding Dong mixed nuts. Crunchy, crunchy delight...

51. Receiving affirmations from friends who really matter... 'yung totoo lang!

52. Chatting via YM with friends and family. Kadalasan si Nikki lang ka-chat ko.

53. Reading ‘Yes’ and ‘Kris’ Magazines (babaw talaga!)

54. Doing sing-along with Magic Sing especially when I get a 97+ scores....

55. Green fields and verdant mountains and I get to breathe fresh, fresh air...

56. The sound of birds chirping outside my windowpane as the morning sun starts to peak in...

57. A view of the sunset... from the roof deck....

58. Falling leaves and shooting stars. I still have to experience real autumn tho'. That would be a joy to experience...

59. A young white rabbit. I would want them eternally young and small....

60. Colorful Christmas lights.... and blinking....

61. A barely ripe banana of the ‘saba’ variety coated with cornstarch and fried until slightly brown. It's a bicol delicacy... Or the fresh fruit of a pili nut tree, blanched in a hot water, peeled, and the pulp dipped in patis with calamansi.....

62. ‘Best buy’ sales especially when I needed to buy things and I didn’t know they were discounted and on sale until I have paid for the items and discovered I paid less than what I expected to pay. It’s a delightful feeling.

63. Discovering new things and new ways with and in my computer…

64. Knowing and learning that other people are touched and moved by my bible sharing in my blog and knowing that I am able to help them in their own spiritual journeys…

65. Taking photos with my Canon camera to be used for my blogs.

66. Daydreaming once in a while about whether God would one day make me a ‘doting grandmother’ and I find myself singing "Que Sera, Sera"; whatever will be, will be....

67. Sharing and discussing insights with my few ‘spiritual’ friends. How I wish there are more of them...

68. Every time Jesus makes me feel He loves me via all the little miracles I experience day by day… and via answers to all my prayers….

69. Knowing I have made somebody happy…

70. Those occasional (very rare) moments when the Lord grants me the grace of devotion....

71. Every bonding moments with my fellow Lay Carmelites....

72. Annual Family Reunions (D' Corporal's)... when I get to see my grand nieces and grand nephews....

73. All birthday celebrations... especially my own spent with close friends...

74. Christmas Eve celebrations.... It is always a joy to contemplate Jesus' birth...

75. "Happy Feet" the movie animation. How truly delightful!

76. Having lunch with my best friend in Freshman college whom I have not seen for the past 40 years and knowing our friendship has remained intact inspite of the years in between. It is such a delight reminiscing the fond memories of years gone by...

77. Competing with Noreen, Nikki and my sisters at the Word and Sudoko Challenge and the various Mindjolt Games and Know-It-All Trivia Quizzes in Facebook....