100 happiness starters
Like for sourdough, but with less yeasty slime.
Mutating the format a bit this week: instead of 10 things, here’s a list of 100.
In rough order from from the utterly ubiquitous to the preposterously rare:
1.    Pictures of non-predatory baby animals
2.    The fact that oxygen’s free
3.    Bookstore smell
4.    Burglars that only steal children’s drum sets
5.    Loopholes that become launchpads
6.    Not having rabies
7.    Million dollar ideas
8.    The remarkable competency of almost everyone you know
9.    Driving past cows and everyone in the car saying so
10. The emergency snacks in grandma’s glovebox
11. Houseplants that visibly perk up when you water them
12. Childhood stuffies that continue to fight evil for decades
13. Noticing Chekhov’s gun early enough that you can stop it from going off
14. Caffeine for those who celebrate
15. How awe-inspiringly smart dolphins obviously are
16. Realizing that thousands of your cells are healing right now
17. Regret-free haircuts
18. People playing quality music in public places
19. That just-brushed-my-teeth feeling
20. Treasure left behind by former tenants (go check your crawlspace!)
21. How Q-tips feel when you use them in the one you way you’ve been warned not to
22. Old people holding wrinkled hands
23. The triumphs of unsponsored underdogs
24. Repairs that come in under budget
25. Nice guys who are, well, actually nice
26. Inside jokes that make practically no sense but still work
27. Whoo-scrolling when good news breaks
28. People laugh at themselves but not at others
29. Googly eyes in unexpected placesÂ
30. Free samples of gourmet meats and cheeses
31. Letting kids win at board games
32. Crippling the spy-drone with your well-aimed coffee cup
33. Believing in Santa when you get to be him
34. The people out there soldering the supply chain back together
35. Products that work better than advertised
36. Buzzer beaters
37. The teacher you had who always knew you could
38. Cheap wine that tastes spendy
39. Guac that’s not extra AND not brown
40. Clients that don’t need any revisions
41. Weird looking kids who become handsome adults
42. Honestly nice kerning
43. A warm bed on a rainy morning that you don’t have to get out of
44. Free parking for emotional baggage
45. Gnome figurines doing weird stuff in other people’s yardsÂ
46. When the raisins turn out to be chocolate chips
47. Friendly people with no ulterior motives
48. How freaking rad eagles are
49. That someone-is-making-me-breakfast smell
50. Links that never rot
51. Compounding interest
52. When young-you was thankfully looking out for now-you
53. Drawing eyebrows on infants
54. Serial killers prevented by healthy childhoods
55. Consensual snuggles
56. Days the vengeful raccoon gang leaves your trash cans alone
57. When the bus arrives at the stop thirty seconds after you do
58. Genies who grant wishes without any semantic trickery
59. Grilled cheese
60. Benign and already removed moles
61. Old markers that didn’t dry out
62. Spontaneous human compassion
63. Opening a brand-new bar of fancy soap
64. Being awake when the sun glows padparadscha on the edge of the sky
65. The guy who, just yesterday, sneezed a fresh COVID variant into his mask instead of into the global consciousness
66. When it’s not a meeting, just an email
67. Cake for no reason
68. Not even needing an extended warranty because the thing just keeps working
69. Just a really great piece of fruit
70. Self-taught dads
71. Getting really good at something obscure that will come in VERY handy in the third act
72. Candy
73. That neighbor who just loves to show off his industrial-strength snowblower
74. A chore done for you that you didn’t ask anyone to do
75. When the demon leaves before the exorcist arrives
76. Work that doesn’t feel like work, but pays you like it is
77. Bounce houses big enough for adults
78. All the magical people you haven’t met yet
79. Pain-free dentistry
80. Witches who save us from ourselves with secret curses
81. Fictional characters you can trust
82. Secret vegans
83. Punk kids who shout compliments instead of cruelties at strangers
84. Giant skeletons with custom outfits for every month of the year
85. Making next-year plans with people you love
86. The feeling of overwhelming freedom you get when you realize your phone is at home and nobody knows where you are
87. Forgetting your bully’s name
88. When that lady thought about complaining but didn’t
89. The army of hackers aggressively working on the student loan situation
90. How science saves your life twenty years from now by figuring something out today
91. Having a structured settlement but not needing the cash now
92. Never having your skills doubted by anyone ever again
93. Jurassic Park DNA reanimation without any of the violent rampaging
94. International diplomacy that prevents nuclear war
95. Puppies who will never, ever die
96. Million dollar ideas you do something serious with
97. Generous, and extremely wealthy benefactors to the arts
98. Knowing you are more than enough and never doubting that ever, ever again
98. Free oxygen for everyone forever
100.  Naps when your hobby is worrying