What makes you happy? PART 1

I have really been emotional lately and I am pretty sure it is because of the years of build up. I learned growing up that if something bothered me or made me sad, to not express this feeling. The only emotion I continuously expressed was anger. I used to cry a lot without a moment's notice, but somewhere between high school and college I stopped. I have only genuinely full out cried 3 times in the past 3 years. I know that can't be healthy. Thanks to a conversation with a friend tonight, I am seeing that crying does not mean you are weak and is sometimes necessary.

A few years ago I started the 31 Days to Reset Your Life program where you complete daily activities to find out what is important to you and maximize your life. (I actually started this 6 times since then and never got past day 10.) One of the activities was to list 100 things that make you happy. Lately people have been asking me what my hobbies are, what I really enjoy doing, and what truly makes me happy, and I have not been able to come up with an answer. I honestly have not been truly consistently happy for a little while now. Maybe revisiting this list and beginning to express my feelings a lot more will help.

100 things that make Mandisa happy

1. R&B music

2. shooting 3 pointers

3. jokes

4. babies making faces

5. hugs from students

6. good male company

7. late night car talks

8. bright colors

9. how I look in the mirror

10. reggae/dancehall/soca

11. Dominica

12. my crazy/interesting family

13. helping younger students

14. getting my nails done

15. funky hairstyles

16. the smell of a familiar man on my pillow

17. chocolate cake

18. margaritas

19. sweet tea vodka

20. my birthday

21. other people's birthdays

22. Fridays

23. snow days

24. going home early from work

25. making fun of my students

26. when people give me a nickname

27. happy hours

28. finding cute earrings

29. thrifting

30. little children reading books/sounding smart

31. being able to sleep in 

32. flirting

33. a good kiss

34. hearts

35. a clean smelling room

36. getting rid of clutter

37. old school hip hop

38. a good workout

39. finding a new pair of cute shoes

40. perfect pair of jeans

41. doodling during boring meetings

42. completing a puzzle/word game

43. interracial groups of friends

44. stepping

45. jumping double dutch

46. watching a good comedy film

47. teaching young people step

48. popping lipgloss

49. clean teeth

50. locs

The first 50 are listed here since I realized 100 would be a little long. Look out for part 2 of my list.