Do you ever take a moment during your day and just let yourself appreciate the small things? We tend to overlook so many of the little details in life that make us inexplicably happy. No matter what kind of day you’re having, it is always worth remembering the small aspects that bring us joy. Today we’re discussing all the little things our community of Reddit users shared when we asked, “What is one small everyday thing that makes you inexplicably happy?”
1. A Dog’s Love
One Redditor shared, “Everyday when I get home from work and see my dog in the window start to wag her tail. Then, when I open the door she grabs a toy and just brings it to me. Makes a [bad] day instantly better.”
Another replied, “That's explicable. For me it's when any package arrives.”
Another user added, “My parents live next door on the same property, so they said it only makes sense for my dogs to stay with them when I'm at work. If I get home in the daylight, Mom lets them out into the yard (fenced) when I pull up, along with Dad's dog, and they all rush out, barking and wagging their tails at me and wanting their little heads rubbed. Whatever stressful things might have happened to me that day instantly go away.”
One user also added, “Even just thinking about my dog when I get home is enough for me to make it home.”
2. Small Moments with your Spouse
One user shared his story and posted, “Wife and I are both retired now, she likes to sleep till 9:00 every morning when I wake up at about 7:00. I love going into our bedroom and waking her up in the morning and chatting till she gets up, then we make the bed together.”
Another user then answered, “U won in life man, I hope someday me and my girl do that same thing.”
“Awww love this,” responded another user.
The original poster replied to the comments, “She is a good person that I feel deserves way better than me at times, we’ve been married over 40 years now.”
3. The Sunrise
One Redditor shared, “In the springtime, as the sun rises in the desert, you can hike through washes. The tops of hills are warm in the sun, and the bottoms of the washes have cool air flowing downhill. Hiking up and down through it is unaccountably joyful.”
Another responded, ”Sounds like it! I'm actually kind of jealous now.”
One user asked, “Where can you do this?”
The original commenter replied, “All over the Mohave and Sonoran deserts. I've found little pockets of cool air in Tucson, up the hill from Lake Mohave on the AZ side, outside of Las Vegas and in Phoenix city parks. Foothills are best, and look for a trail that runs up & down over an undulating landscape. I think the cool air flows down from the shady side of a tall hill while the land away from the hill warms in the sun. I can't find it every day, which is part of what makes it memorable.”
4. Birdsong
One sharer posted, “Sitting by the window after waking up in the morning and listening to the Dove’s coo.”
Another replied, “I get woken up every day by the chatter of jackdaws in the tree outside my window. I always imagine they say good morning to each other… love their chatter. Sometimes they make noise during the night. I think they are warning each other for the city fox that sometimes roams around…”
5. The Sound of the Rain
One user shared, “I like when it rains, the sound and even look calms me. I also like to bet myself which drop of rain makes it down the window first.”
One added, “Ooh! This reminds me. If you're ever hiking, and you're under the edge of a cliff or cave or something really tall where water is dripping off of it, stand directly under the water and watch one drop all the way down. So fun for some reason!!”
6. A Cup of Tea
One user posted, “For some people it’s coffee, for me it's chai tea. I fix the first thing in the morning and heat to just the right temperature, not too hot, not too cold, but feels wonderful going down my throat.”
Another user asked, “Do you make it from scratch?”
The original commenter said, “I use the Tazo concentrate, 50/50 milk/concentrate, then I add just a little bit of coffee creamer. Works for me. However, the concentrate box at Walmart six months ago cost $2.98, this past month they raised the price to $4.89. . . so unfortunately I’ve cut way back on it.”
Another responded, “Ugh I can’t live without Chai.”
7. Foam Rolling
A Redditor shared, “My foam roller.”
One user responded, “Love my foam roller. Sometimes I’ll even take it on when I go on trips. Life was sad and achy before I got it.”
8. Cooking
One user posted,”Taking my time to cook something I really like, with great [care], and then sitting down with a nice cutlery and dishes arrangement and having a proper dinner with a nice glass of beer or wine. There is something about knowing I can treat myself and therefore really enjoy even a lonely meal…it is very uplifting, it never fails to make me smile. Makes me proud, because I did it myself, is healthy and tasty, and it makes me happy cause, you know, life's not too shabby afterall :)”
9. Children with Healthy Emotions
A Redditor posted,”I hope this makes sense but hearing my 5yo speak with emotional maturity. I've always thought about how to raise him to be comfortable with his feelings, to put words to emotions and not bottle up, like my parents were accustomed to, that I could never understand as a child, and I didn't want to be that parent. It catches me by surprise when I realize I'm wondering how to do it, and it's already happening.”
10. A Healthy Family
One online user posted, “Ain't small but rather big but definitely makes me happy every second now. My mom was diagnosed with depression and an initial case of schizophrenia way back in 1996 when I was 13 years old. She was in and out of mental hospitals for 5 years or so until she was fine. During those years, my sisters were already off to college so I had to do daily chores and cooking with study and getting good grades while my dad worked his ass off at work and hospital visits.
“I wanted to be a Navy merchant, aced the National exam for it but was never told about the acceptance letter I received from the College because my parents wanted me in the country and not unavailable. I learned about it about a year or so ago when I was going through the mail. That's when I decided to leave for college as far as possible from home.
“I also made it to the best ranks of Engineering colleges in the country, almost broke the connection with my parents, suffered from anxiety and low confidence during my initial days of college and work. But I eventually picked up where I was in my teens—a confident and loving person. Wasn't much in touch with my parents until 2019.
“My dad called one day in 2019 (he retired in 2006), and said he was sorry for everything and was not sounding his usual self. I asked him where he was, and he didn't say. I knew something was off. I asked him to stay wherever he was while I fly to him (2 hours flight and 2 hours drive to my city from where I was working) and get him. I did after tons of begging to let me know where he was so I could take care of him. He was in a bad state physically and mentally. He had his finger broken and bruised his chest. He had a deep scar on his arm from before I didn't know. That was my mom—all of it. The schizophrenia relapsed, became worse and he never told us anything because he didn't want any of us to be ‘worried'. She wouldn't visit any doctor nor take any medicine. Every time my dad forced either, he was beaten up. He didn't even call the cops or anyone to help him out as he was worried they would take my mom away and he wouldn't be able to be with her.
“I brought him in. My wife is a loving person and very protective of her family. She is like the dog I had when I was a kid. She took care of [him] and brought back the 75 year old man back to himself in due time. He looked above 90 before. He had become a very anxious and depressed person just like my mom in the early stages. That's what a caretaker gets when he/she cares for a mentally ill patient. He asked me to send enough money every month to our neighbor who will then give it to my mom.
“Then the COVID hit. My mom was all alone in that mental state which I swear won't even ask my enemy to be in. She broke her only phone and there was no way to contact her. Didn't even know if she was alive or got COVID (chances were low as she never left her house and never met anyone for over 2 years before that). Neighbors can't visit because of the lockdown restrictions. Once we all got vaccinated, my wife decided to bring in my mom to take care of her and try to make things the way they were 27 years ago. I was against it but she was adamant.
“Once the lockdown was over, my mom called from her neighbors phone and she sounded okay. I told her that I will be sending the neighbor a new phone, and she can be in touch with us on that. I also told her that I will be coming to get her. She wasn't eager but somehow agreed. So, I went when the lockdown was over, and brought her back. It was a very difficult sight when I met her. The home I grew up in was just a broken house. Everything was broken. The TV, the window panes, the chairs, the refrigerator and mostly her. She must have lost nothing less than 20 kgs when I last saw her. She was living off on bread, milk, curd and water. She hardly went out, and didn't have much money left.
“I stayed there for a day, packed her stuff and brought her back. My wife contacted the biggest psychiatrist of the capital city of my country, begged him to visit us by being a friend rather than a doctor and got her diagnosed to quite an extent. It took almost 6 months of medicine and care but it has made her become the wife and the mother she was almost 3 decades ago. She is still not the mother-in-law my wife wanted but my wife is happy. And I am all the time.”
Another user responded, “What a difficult time, and what an incredible wife you have!”
The original commenter answered, ”Thank you. She definitely is!”
Original Reddit thread here.
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