For fun: what sorts of things would you like that would make you happy?

[Garga]

Answering "more money" doesn't count.

 

I already have a number of things that make me happy (kids, dh, etc.), but what are the things that you don't have yet that would bring you joy? They can be attainable or not. These are just idle dreams.

 

Some of mine, in no particular order:

 

1. All of my favorite friends and family living on the same street as me.

2. A grocery store, library, and clothing store within walking distance.

3. A room in my house lined entirely with dark brown bookshelves, and filled with books.

4. Someone else to cook for me.

5. All of the clutter in my basement, attic and shed to be cleaned out.

6. A wing backed chair.

7. Being able to impact people in a big way, like building a school or digging a well in Africa.

8. Being the person who reads the books for books on CDs.

9. Visiting with all those friends and family who live on the same street. (Only my favorite ones, of course. No visiting the crabby Aunt Matilda who always pokes fun at homeschooling.)

10. A stream just perfect for wading at the edge of my property.

11. No mosquitoes and no sunburn.

[Sasharowan]

1. Traveling by RV around the US

2. Visiting Ireland, England, most of Europe

3. Sailing to Australia (in a BIG boat)

4. Getting all that loose wood out of my living room

5. Getting all the outlets working again

6. A fun day at the beach

[yellowperch]

I could copy your list with slight modifications:

 

Instead of reading for CDs I would like to be an OB (part-time with plans to join Doctors Without Borders when the children are on their merry way), live on an island (Martha's Vineyard, for example), adopt one or more children, and in addition to no mosquitoes I' like no ticks, thank you very much.

 

Also, I'd like to have a few acres and two horses. :)

Edited April 22, 2011 by yellowperch

[Impish]

 

1. No more RSD.
   
2. Getting stoopid WCB settled
   
3. Moving into our own home.
   
4. Housekeeping service
   

 

[tammyw]

1. Buying a house and settling down (we are military and only 3 years left until we hit 20).

2. Getting a cat (negatives of renting - landlord won't allow one).

 

Those are the big ones right now. Otherwise, I am pretty happy with the way things are.

[blakereese]

Living near our family

DH working closer to home

A library in my home...room lined with bookshelves and a comfy chair

A driver (I hate to drive!!)

[Remudamom]

Not trying to squash the thread, really I'm not, but you're either happy or you aren't.

 

That said, I want a big indoor arena, an outdoor arena and a horse barn with living quarters.

[Impish]

RSD vanishing would have a huge impact on my happiness levels. Trust me! :lol:

[elegantlion]

1. a working replicator

2. a working holodeck

3. the ability to transcribe my thoughts to paper and have them organized without typing, or the involvement of another person.

4. For my son to find one really good kid as a good friend. Someone who he would be friends with for years to come.

[LidiyaDawn]

a pony & a tire swing :D

[Garga]

Not trying to squash the thread, really I'm not, but you're either happy or you aren't.

 

True. But what are those little things in life that bring us joy?

 

For most people it boils down to things like community, faith in something bigger than yourself (God, nature, something), meaningful work. Things like that.

 

Having more or less money doesn't really change a person's happiness level (unless they're in horrible poverty and are sick and hungry). But there are those things that bring a sigh of contentment. Sometimes I just like to think about those things and consider if I can make some of them come true. (Like, I can probably get a wingbacked chair pretty easily, but it's not likely that all my friends will move onto the same street as me.)

[gingersmom]

Live in housekeeper

Cooking classes

home in Europe/South America

new knee

new spine

a dozen German Shepherds

[Heather in Neverland]

Well, honestly, I am happier now than I think I have ever been:

 

I have a fabulous job working with amazing people and where I get to make a difference in the lives of many every day. It also provides a decent salary and insurance.

 

I have year-round summer and a beautiful pool to sit by whenever I want.

 

I have a live-in maid/nanny.

 

I have a lovely home.

 

 

But more importantly, I have a dh who survived breaking his neck in a motorcycle accident nearly a year ago and 3 beautiful, healthy children one of whom is my GORGEOUS BABY GIRL. And I have a faith that is strong.

 

 

What more could I possibly want?

 

You really want to know?

 

OK, but don't laugh...

 

I want Target to open a store here. :D

[iquilt]

When we moved my MIL was ecstatic with our location. Why? Because we are less than 3 minutes from Target!

[Heather in Neverland]

When we moved my MIL was ecstatic with our location. Why? Because we are less than 3 minutes from Target!

 

Can a person actually die from jealousy? I think I am about to. :tongue_smilie:

[iquilt]

I forgot to answer the OP! I'd love to have more dedicated time to create in my sewing room. I'd also be happy to spend hours simply reading good books. We are blessed so much already with our family. We were told not to expect to have children and we have three. We will celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary this June. Dh is gainfully employed and we have the freedom to homeschool. We believe we are forgiven. So many other little blessings to be happy about and for which we give thanks.

[Denise in Florida]

I have a really good life now, but if I ask for something it would be:

 

1. Have my dds meet the right young men at the right time. Young men that have their own goals to pursue and will allow my girls to pursue theirs.

 

2. MORE CHICKENS. Dh says will are at the limit with three. Three? Three? ... really.

 

3. Family to be closer.

 

4. The courage to pursue those goals I have held for years that I have not been brave enough to tackle. :tongue_smilie:

 

Wonderful thread, thanks OP for the starter.

[Brindee]

I'm very happy! BUT, if we're dreaming.............

 

1. Not to have daily headaches

2. New carpet and/or wood (or other) flooring throughout the house

3. New NICE furniture

4. Positive, GOOD friends for ds17

5. Housekeeper

6. Yard person

7. An organizer that will follow me around and put things away where they should go and organize my pictures, papers and scrapbook stuff after I use them! (well, we're dreaming, right? :D)

8. Ability to travel/do more mission trips

Edited April 22, 2011 by Brindee

[BMW]

I am generally a happy spirited person... but, to dream a dream... what would make me "happy":

 

inexpensive education (I want a degree and it is going to be expensive!)

 

pleasant teens who don't argue every time I speak

 

an adhd cure that doesn't require extensive cooking from scratch

 

TIME... DAYS where I don't have to be somewhere or "do" something but can work in the yard... sit an extra while... not worry about what needs to be done

*I suppose a housekeeper would help satisfy my "time" desire!!*

 

Unlimited grocery budget... and with that I would enjoy asparagus 3 times a week, berries galore, daily fresh veggies, and actually very little junk food... junk food does not ever tempt me... except chips... I do like chips...

 

Low fuel prices so I can hit the road and go places that I want to go... outings to the beach (100 miles away), to the big city, over to Yosemite a few times a year... down to see my parents a few times a year...

 

And while I am dreaming, I would be delighted beyond words to be able to crawl into bed at the end of the day and fall asleep and stay asleep all night. I cannot remember when I have done that in the past several years... it's very, very frustrating.

 

Now, I am off to live in my reality, which is busy, challenging and creative (you have to be creative with less resources!), and I hope to set the example that Remudamom reminds us of... that happiness is a choice... (but, I will keep dreaming and trying to figure out how to make some of the "things" happen...).

[Sue G in PA]

Kids who get along more than they fight. Peace. Dh and I on same page about homeschooling. No more clutter. Finding a church home. Close friends living near me.

[Brindee]

inexpensive education (I want a degree and it is going to be expensive!)

Low fuel prices so I can hit the road and go places that I want to go... outings to the beach (100 miles away), to the big city, over to Yosemite a few times a year... down to see my parents a few times a year...

 

And while I am dreaming, I would be delighted beyond words to be able to crawl into bed at the end of the day and fall asleep and stay asleep all night. I cannot remember when I have done that in the past several years... it's very, very frustrating.

 

 

:iagree: with these! Only the inexpensive education would be the college for my children!!!

 

Our beach is about 150 miles away, sigh....

 

Oh, to sleep!!! Yes, that would be heavenly!

[GWOB]

What more could I possibly want?

 

You really want to know?

 

OK, but don't laugh...

 

I want Target to open a store here. :D

 

I won't laugh at you. My nearest Target is over an hour away.

 

Things I would love that would make me even happier:

 

A local bookstore with a little cafe area that hosted authors and children's programs.

 

A self-cleaning house. I would say a maid, but I'd feel like I had to clean before the maid came over.

 

My dh in a kilt installing new bookcases;):lol:.

 

A local indoor swimming pool so we could swim year round.

 

An RV so we could travel around more often.

 

Access to a really extensive library with every book I could ever want.

 

A super fast metabolism so all those cookies my ds baked and I ate would not go straight to my thighs.

 

The ability to garden and not kill everything.

[Stacia]

My dh in a kilt installing new bookcases;):lol:.

 

:D:lol:

 

 

A couple of things that have already been mentioned, plus a few others:

 

• no mosquitoes

• all carpeting removed from the house

• ability to garden

• learning to like running & becoming good at it

• traveling the world w/ dh & dc (& for dh to learn to like flying)

• my house to be as zero-waste & empty as this one (ha ha, like that will ever happen :tongue_smilie:)

• a great electric or alternative fuel car that gets great mileage

• becoming a helicopter pilot

• to live in the Pacific NW

• world peace a la John Lennon's "Imagine" :D (You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one...)

 

Edited April 22, 2011 by Stacia

[Mrs Mungo]

I am pretty dang happy right now.

 

But, dh and I had a long talk last night and I think we are staying in the military until 25 years. It really made me realize I had been looking forward to him retiring and getting a regular job in a few years, to settling down close to family and friends, to living near the kids while they went to college. :(

 

I won't be unhappy, but I know it will be a harder road.

[tammyw]

I am pretty dang happy right now.

 

But, dh and I had a long talk last night and I think we are staying in the military until 25 years. It really made me realize I had been looking forward to him retiring and getting a regular job in a few years, to settling down close to family and friends, to living near the kids while they went to college. :(

 

I won't be unhappy, but I know it will be a harder road.

 

That would be hard to take if you've been looking forward to a certain "get out" date. I know, because I am practically counting down the days until we hit 20 years (less than 3 years now). I am just READY to be out. If that got extended another five years, I would not be a happy camper!

[nono]

Practical:

1. More energy.

2. More focus.

 

Way out there:

3. Someone to come to my home and wash and blow dry my hair daily.

4. Someone to come to my home daily and wash the dishes.

 

Of course, if 1 & 2 are taken care of on the list, probably I wouldn't need 3 & 4. :)

 

ETA: OH, I forgot, I also would like a pause button. It would freeze the rest of the world for a few hours, and I could catch up!

Edited April 22, 2011 by nono

[kwickimom]

a horse. I MISS having a horse and I truly just love them so much. We have deer and they kind of smell like horses, thats about as close as I get these days.

 

A finished basement so that we could have a schoolroom and I could have a HUGE whiteboard and arts and crafts stations and tons of bookshelves.

 

If I am stuck in this town, I would love a REAL friend.

 

I would love to live closer to my family so my kids could see them more.

 

 

 

 

Thats it. I am happy to be able to pay my bills and stay at home and HS. I am happy to have 3 healthy kids and a DH that comes home every night. If I could add a schoolroom, a good friend, and a horse to that then it would be AWESOME. Total heaven would be moving 5 hours North!!!

[Mom0012]

I'd love to:

 

1. be able to travel wherever I wanted with my family

2. double or triple my food budget so I could add more variety, interest and enjoyment to our meals

3. have a cleaning service vacuum my house, dust and clean my bathrooms once a week

4. be able to afford to sign my kids up for all the activities they are interested in

5. have another baby (or two)

6. have my husband find another job that isn't 10-12 hours a day so that he has time to enjoy himself, exercise and do things with us as a family

 

Lisa

[I.Dup.]

I am happy too, but here are my dreams:

 

1. The freedom to do what we want with our time (spend time together instead of dh having to work)

 

2. I would love to travel whenever we want, wherever we want. I have always loved travel.

 

3. Dh and I to agree on everything because I know the first 2 things would just complicate things between us and we wouldn't be able to agree. :lol:

 

4. No stomach/intestinal flus or diseases, ever.

 

That would be heaven for me. :001_smile:

[cin]

A dog

A little bit bigger house (not huge, maybe 2500 sq ft)

More Family. And nearby (DH & I have NO siblings and 1 parent. And she has dementia)

No Sensory issues (especially when it comes to food!)

To be skinny, without having to give up ice cream and chocolate

To be rid of arthritis/aches and pains

Deer that DON'T eat my flowers!

A Library with tall ceilings, DH's favorite books on the TOP shelf. And a kilt. :lol: Yes, we ALL need a man with a kilt in our lives!!!!!!

[Rosie_0801]

1. Sleep. I want to sleep between 10.30pm and 7am EVERY night. I am so much nicer and cleverer when I do.

2. Dh to do something about this lousy internet connection. Not sure if he can, but I wish he would.

3. Great Aunt Wilhemina to leave me a house in a suitable location so I am no longer obliged to be managed by the inlaws whims on this issue. (Am I the only one to notice that in stories, it is always a Great Aunt Wilhemina?)

4. To go on holidays! I have a great long list of places to go, and dh's snoring just woke me up from a dream where the kids and I were leaving Ibbygirl's house for New York. Clearly I'm getting desperate. Anyone who knows ASL, Is NY signed with the submissive hand palm up or down? I can't remember. I think it is palm up.

5. A clavichord and to be able to take lessons.

6. Rolls and rolls of bronze wire.

 

:)

Rosie

[JudoMom]

 

1. A healthy liver and immune system.
   
2. I'd also like to be healthy enough to test for my black belt in Judo. I was supposed to test for my last level of brown in November, which at this point is a formality (it's the same test, but one is club level and one is before the state Judo board), but I've been in too much pain to work out sufficiently and haven't been able to study the nearly 200 Japanese words I need to learn either. I'm pretty discouraged about that.
   
3. A van with 5 shoulder belts. I actually love our ugly 1993 Previa, but my younger two boys will eventually outgrow their 5 point harness seats, and I've seen too many 20/20 episodes about the dangers of lap belts only. I just found out that it can't be retro fitted either. The dealer said they were standard in the 1995 version, so I've put the bug in dh's ear that it's time to look for one.
   
4. I would love built in bookshelves in the schoolroom. Or at least a wall of shelves.
   
5. While we're adding bookshelves, I need to put some in the boys' bedrooms.
   
6. I would love to finally paint and decorate our bedroom. It's a lovely builder white.
   
7. A new washer and dryer.
   

 

[Alphabetika]

A space of my own.

[Ginevra]

I do agree that "happy" is mostly what you make it, however, I will play along in the fantasy:

 

1. Another daughter

2. To be able to search my own name at Amazon and have it come up - as author

3. To retain a 98% in my math class

4. To travel the US by RV

5. If my brother, his wife, their kids, and her brother, father and SIL all lived nearby

6. If my best friend still lived nearby

7. To travel around the world

8. To own a really amazing piano

[Ginevra]

My dh in a kilt installing new bookcases.

:lol::lol::lol:

 

Well, for me, it's construction boots and Levis, and when we built our current house, I did manage to convince dh to put up two full-wall bookcases in the office...it doesn't get much sexier than that!