45.6.13: Good structure

• The emotional self-regulation that I have learned (and am learning) serves me well.
• I usually enjoy the rhythm of my life. What is important is the journey, the process. Good outcomes (destinations) are nice, but I spend a lot more time in the journey than at the destination, so it's important to enjoy the process of getting to the destination.
• I'm very fortunate to have the close, warm relationship I do with my sweetie. That makes me happy.

"Emotional self-regulation is a learned skill. We are all born agitated and helpless, and we learn self-management skills slowly over time." -- Loretta Graziano Breuning

45.6.12: Foraging for events that stimulate happy brain chemicals

• Finding events that stimulate happy brain chemicals: humor that makes me laugh, making my sweetie laugh, reading a book I enjoy, exercise, tasty food, good talks with my sweetie, being productive at work.
• Machines that work for me while I'm doing other stuff.
• Adding a daily quote to my good list.
• Starbucks on Saturday morning.
• Working on my computer in other venues.

"I've never seen evidence for a non-material realm separate from the physical world of the senses. I have seen a great deal of evidence that human beings have active imaginations and an endless capacity to believe whatever they like in the face of evidence." -- me

45.6.11: Good stuff in my life

• Weekend!
• New computers! (Something I like about my new computer is how quickly it wakes up when I open the lid. The old machine sometimes would spin the beach ball for the better part of 30 seconds.)
• Enjoying the passage of time.
• Restful sleep.
• Getting stuff done.

45.6.10: Stuff I like

• The weather forecast called for rain this morning but it wasn't actually raining when we got up.
• I'm finding that less expensive coffee tastes just as good to me as the expensive stuff, so I can save some money.
• Entertaining websites found through stumbleupon.com.
• Time to eat breakfast.

45.6.9: Things that make me happy

• I like living in Oak Ridge because it's small enough to not feel urban but large enough that we have a local Starbucks and it looks like this summer we'll get a nice new, big Kroger (with gas pumps!). 
• Feeling clean after a shower.
• Gluing old slivers of soap to the new bar so none is lost.
• Improving the code I'm responsible for at work.
• Making my sweetie laugh.

45.6.8: Stuff making me happy today

• Wildlife in my neighborhood.
• Seeing the wind turbines on the ridgeline north of town.
• My scenic commute through the country.
• Interesting things to do at work.
• A steady, comfortable relationship I can count on.
• I'm actually getting some traffic on this blog.

45.6.7: Getting back to the normal routine

• I go back to work today.
• But first we're going to get out for a walk, so my exercise for the day will be done.
• I just finished reading No Easy Day, the account of the Navy SEAL attack on Osama bin Laden's compound in Abottabad, Pakistan. I have a couple more books to read from the library.
• I've made it through a whole week on the current string of days.