1. The smell of an empty ice rink before a hockey game.
  2. The warmth of the sun on your face as it slips out from behind the clouds.
  3. The way my toddler throws his head back in full bodied laughter when his feet or neck are tickled
  4. The malty scent of making beer during the mash
  5. The way my second son always says, “Hi, Dads” when I get home from work, no matter what else he’s doing
  6. Subdued tears and a runny nose from a great spicy dish
  7. The slightly sad yet contented feeling that comes at the end of watching a well-written movie or a great TV show
  8. A few moments of quiet just being with someone you love, when no words are necessary.
  9. Turning on the radio and hearing that song you love, right from the beginning
  10. The smell of freshly cut grass
  11. Creating something, with either your hands or your intellect, that turns out the way you originally planned
  12. A perfectly cooked steak that melts in your mouth and tastes like well-seasoned beef, not some ridiculous other addition
  13. Hugs from each of your children at bedtime
  14. Playoff hockey
  15. Winning a fantasy sports league, even if there’s no money involved
  16. The times that The Daughter randomly approaches you and says, “I love you, Daddy”, even if she is just trying to butter you up
  17. Tracing tiny shapes with your fingers on your significant other’s skin while sharing a couch in front of the TV
  18. Driving a little too fast to a great song while you sing along, out loud, on a bright sunny day
  19. Finishing a great book
  20. Watching an 18 month-old dance while smiling from ear-to-ear
  21. Pot roast, falling apart
  22. A couple’s first dance at their wedding, when it seems like no one else is in the room, and then, in the years to come, every dance after, when you remember the time that it just the two of you and the rest of the world be damned.
  23. Simplicity; good pizza with a beer you enjoy
  24. Watching a seven year-old, having recently discovered Michael Jackson, practice the “Moonwalk” in the foyer.
  25. The way Coca-Cola tickles the nose and causes the most satisfying belch.
  26. Smoked meat
  27. Laughter
  28. Using all your letters on one word in a game of Scrabble
  29. Chocolate chip cookies
  30. A contented carful of family, on the way from a trip, all asleep but the driver because having fun is damned tiring

Life is short, and often unappreciated. There are thousands of little nuggets of joy in all of our lives that we mostly take for granted every day. Don’t let them slip away, and stop worrying so damned much. If you just can’t get over it, whatever it happens to be today, let me know and I’ll treat you to a beer, a cookie, or an ice cream cone, your choice. After that, if you still need to complain, you’ll have to go buzz in someone else’s ear.

The sun will come up tomorrow and there will always be chocolate chip cookies; everything else is just noise.

Pud’n