it's all about the little things...

i know that this is no new sentiment. it's not like i'm the wise man who discovered it. but it's amazing how many times i have to remind myself of it, or find myself reminded of it. i get so wrapped around the axle about whatever is happening in life and make myself miserable worrying about this or that and forget that so much of happiness is found in the little things. that doesn't mean i should be totally hedonistic and forget about grandiose plans for the future, but that i shouldn't lose sight of the fact that i need to enjoy today as well.

the big thing that reminded me was yesterday on guard duty. it was freezing. i jumped into the truck and cranked the heat and was squirming around trying to get the perfect angle so the warm air would blow down the next of shirt and down my back. a little piece of heaven. for the next 8 hours i lived for my couple minutes in the truck every hour to warm up. i didn't care about how much money i was making, what was going on at home, what new person in the unit is trying to micromanage me and is irritating the hell out of me, none of it. just the warmth of that heater vent.

today i was running. i hate running. with a passion. i never experience a "runner's high". i experience running pain. shin splints, side aches, sore muscles, owwie knees... but as much as i hate running, somedays there are good days. today i was running on this main road that crosses the base. roughly two miles from end to end. it's usually pretty busy, but today for some reason, there were moments when it was totally quiet and i just felt an amazingly peaceful calm settle over me. i felt like i was at my dad's place, running in the desert trails in arizona. just the perfect weather after yesterday's cold. the fourth mile, my mind had to keep slowing my body down, it just wanted to go faster and it didn't realize just how much further it had to go until it was time to stop. why i couldn't have a "closer-to-God" moment while i was sitting on the couch or laying in bed, i don't know...

a couple months ago, a nice soul sent me some 300 thread count sheets. the best i've seen here are some rough 150 tc. i waited until after a LONG convoy, came home, showered, put the new sheets on the bed and passed out. glorious! i'm ordering some 1200tc sateen sheets and having them sent to my house. it'll be a nice "welcome home" present to myself...

for christmas a friend sent me a box of imported chocolate truffles from trader joes... each one was an almost orgasmic experience. i now understand the sway chocolates have over girls...

there is a girl here who wears the most awesome fragrance. i have no idea what it is, some mix of body wash and spray. she's tried to explain it once, but you know? i'm a guy. anyways she'll come into our building every once in awhile to use our copier. it's so awesome. she's a nice girl, i don't want to to flirt with her, don't think impure thoughts, blah-blah-blah... it's not about that. i just like to sit there for a second after she passes by and savor the scent.

i love seeing a movie by myself. it's one of my guilty simple pleasures. no one to interrupt in the middle of it to ask about a storyline or anything. no one to go on and on about how stupid it was afterwards. i just like feeling like a little kid eating my popcorn and getting lost in the moment.

a dairy queen ice cream cone with crunchies. they're hard to find, a lot of dq's don't have those anymore. but there is one on my way home from work. sometimes i'm bad, and stop on the way home from work, and have one all to myself and don't tell anyone. or stop at sam's club for a churro. or sneak out to waffle house for a cheese steak sandwich. a nice, wonderfully greasy cheesesteak. it's totally bad for me. but it makes me happy.

teen angst shows/movies. i have NO idea why. i can watch 16 candles over and over. smallville? i'm there. i remember watching the first season of 90210 and thinking it was the best show ever...

riding my motorcycle after a rain. sometimes without a helmet. just the smell and cleanliness of the city. where i live in the states, there is a technology area. high-rise office buildings and the area is a ghost-town after about 8pm. one of the better rides in town in my mind.

a cold, rainy weekend day. i LOVE rolling over, looking out the window, seeing how awful it is outside, and realizing i have an excuse to do NOTHING all day, but stay in bed reading a book. and napping.

uh, napping....

there are tons of more. these are just the ones popping into my mind now. what're the little things that you can totally get lost in happiness in?