Daily writing prompt

List 30 things that make you happy.

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Good afternoon. It’s been a busy day here. So, let’s get to this prompt. I don’t know if I have thirty things, but we’ll see how close I get.

1. My relationship with Jesus Christ. I have a T-shirt that says: It’s not about religion. It’s about a relationship with God. So true.
2. My relationships with two of my children, my grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. They always make me smile.
3. My friendships. I have wonderful friends who keep me smiling and laughing. Life wouldn’t be good without friends.
4. Books. I started reading when I was in first grade. I’ve had a book in my hands since.
5. My imagination. I began writing at the age of 8. It wasn’t any good, but it’s where my imagination got its start, with a TV episode I told myself I could write better. I’ve had pen and paper with me since then, and as soon as the computer came out, the keyboard has been my friend.
6. Church. I love spending time in church worshiping and praising God, gathering hugs from friends and being part of that community.
7. Writer’s Guild. I get together with other writer’s on the first Tuesday of every month and get feedback on the stories I write. Most valuable and helpful.
8. Rock painting. I started rock painting before COVID. I didn’t know I could paint. Art and I didn’t see eye to eye when I was in school. I guess it was a latent ability. People are always telling me how good my rocks are.
9. Canasta. The fun we have every Thursday afternoon just keeps me smiling for the rest of the day.
10. My next door neighbor. I don’t have a car, and she willingly takes me shopping or wherever I need to go. We spent most of the day together shopping today. I’m more than happy to buy gas once a month for all we do together.
11. Bible Study. Every Tuesday morning I go to a friend’s church for Bible study, or as often as we can make it. My friend hasn’t been able to go the last few weeks, so I got a ride from another member of the Bible study.
12. The friendships I made in that Bible study. When Jesus is the common denominator, friendships multiply and grow.
13. Bible study here in the complex where I live. We meet twice a month. It’s always a joy to spend time around the Word of God.
14. Prayer. I lead a small prayer group here on Wednesday night. There’s nothing like praying for the needs of others to give me that special sense that I spent quality time with Jesus, my Lord.
15. Swimming. I have a membership to two gyms with pools. However, getting to either right now is impossible, but the day will come when I will be back in the pool again. I love to swim. I’ve been swimming my entire life.
16. Walking the trail. There was a time when I wouldn’t even consider going outside and walking. I was content to stay in my apartment and write. Those days are gone. I love walking the trails close to my home. Especially when I see the various wildlife on the pond and in the woods. Last week I saw turkeys and a Great Blue Heron.
17. My Christian life. I know I mess up and need forgiveness. I’m so happy I serve a faithful Savior who is ready to forgive me when I fall.
18. Games. I like to play online games. I play solitaire, Mahjong, Sherlock, Jewels of Rome, and Snow Town. I enjoy games. They help take the stress away from a stressful day.
19. Television. From my earliest memories, I loved watching television. Growing up it was westerns, Batman, Star Trek, and anything that nurtured my imagination.
20. Board games. I love Monopoly, Scrabble, Sorry. I don’t play them right now, though I have the games. I’m always looking for someone who wants to play with me. I’ll even play chess and checkers if someone wants to play with me.
21. Sailing. It’s been a while since I was out on a boat, but I’m ready if someone invites. I love the feel of wind and water as we glide through the water.
22. Travel. Just say the word and I’m ready to go with whoever invites me on a trip to Washington Island or even Door County. The sites are awesome, and the food is delicious. When you cross into Door County, the thumb on the right side of the map of Wisconsin, you won’t find a franchise restaurant. There’s a restaurant that serves the best Swedish cuisine, and there are goats on the grass roofs. Totally awesome!
23. Writing conferences. The first one I went to back in the 1980s had me hooked. It lasted a week. It was also when the editor for the publishing company asked me if I considered writing a series. I had just finished Scarred. Nothing else was planned at the time. He gave me hope as a writer. Since then, Scarred became a four-book series, and my writing escalated until I have well over 50 titles, not all of them are finished. Between 16 and 18 are finished and ready to edit and publish, and I’m constantly working on something new. It all started with an editor who gave me the confidence I needed as a writer.
24. Farmer’s Markets. I went to my first one last year and was hooked on fresh locally grown produce.
25. My collections. I love to collect oil lamps and village houses. I have over 20 oil lamps, and a growing collection of village houses.
26. The Green Bay Packers. I’m an avid Packers fan. I am not a sports fan. But even I am surprised by how much I know about the other teams over the years.
27. The Indy 500. I listened to my first Indy race when I was in Boot Camp back in 1972. I was hooked. It’s the only car race I watch.
28. The Kentucky Derby and the Triple Crown races, if I remember to watch them. I love horse racing. I especially love the hats at the Kentucky Derby.
29. Summer Olympics. I love the water sports and gymnastics. I need to hunt for the equestrian events.
30. Winter Olympics. I love everything ice, well, not hockey so much, but figure skating, couples skating, luge, ski jumping. You will find me glued to the television during the Olympics. Not much writing gets done during that time.

Okay, there are my thirty. I didn’t think I would get there, but as you can see, I did. Did you come up with thirty things that make you happy? Let me know in the comments. Thanks for reading. The image belongs to me.