Welcome back, Dear Readers! Here is my happy list for the week. What’s currently making you happy? I want to know!

1) Being Appreciated. I’m not someone who needs to be patted on the back all the time–in fact, praise can make me uncomfortable. Still, it’s nice to know that your hard work is appreciated sometimes. One of my public relations clients recently took the time to send me a beautiful thank you letter with a cheque for an extra $100 because she felt I’d gone above and beyond. How often does that happen?

2) Kids. Anyone who knows me well may be surprised by this. I’m not really a “kid” person…I don’t have any of my own and have never wanted to be a mother. But every now and then I form a strong bond with certain children and nothing makes me melt more than having a little kid smile at me, give me a hug, or reach for my hand. I went to a wedding this past Saturday and the highlight was a beautiful seven-year-old girl who took my hands in hers and danced with me. She completely stole my heart. This is her with her brothers, all dressed up for the wedding. Who could resist her? Completely adorable and a sweetheart, too.

3) Health Food Stores. The Boy and I can spend (very expensive) hours exploring health food stores. We often come away with treats of the not-so-good for you variety, but who can resist the temptation of trying haggis chips or pomegranate pop? Going for an adventure in your own city is awesome! If you haven’t checked out a health food store to see all that they offer, I highly recommend it. I LOVE dried fruit but stay away from dried pineapple because it’s normally so coated in sugar it’s more like candy (gross candy). At Vita Health I discovered a brand of dried fruit called Made in Nature. Their dried fruit is organic with no sugar or sulphates added, so the pineapple actually tastes like pineapple! It’s fantastic. It’s so fresh you have to keep the package in the fridge after opening.

4) Environmental Cloths/Unpaper Towels. These were recommended by another blogger I love, and

I’m so glad I bought them. They really reduce your use of paper towels and are so much better for the environment. I purchased the small pack so I could try them out, but now I wish I’d bought the biggest one. You can choose from a number of different colors, and they’re handmade.

5) Standing Up For Myself (and Others). If there’s a benefit to growing older, it has to be that I don’t bother suffering in silence anymore. Case in point: I reconnected with a childhood friend two years ago, but we were never able to chat without her bashing my home city (I’m originally from British Columbia but now live in Winnipeg, Manitoba. People who live in BC tend to regard their province as the promised land). At first I shrugged off her comments, but after recently hearing from her again and again having her slag where I live, I decided to say something. So I did. I was polite but direct. And she apologized and said I had every right to be unhappy about her comments. This feels so much better than stewing in silence and getting angrier every time she sent another insult my way. Often the people who are upsetting you have no clue that what they’re doing or saying is bothering you unless you tell them. It’s worth taking the time to be direct, even when it’s scary.

That’s it for this week! What’s on your happy list?