Reviewing an old thread on Facebook, wherein I was being grouchy about something, I find that someone asked “what makes you happy?” by way of contrast.

I replied with this, slightly edited. These are dark days. Don’t forget there is still joy in the world.

Erin. Bacon. Our cats. My nieces and nephew. My brother. Cool tech. Beautiful music. That feeling of being safe and warm at home with your people and pets when it’s cold and wet outside. Getting stronger on my bike. Our impending vacation. Erin’s ongoing experiments with the new slow cooker. My friends, and their beautiful children, even the ones we don’t see all that often. Houston in general. Houston’s arts community in particular. Mechanical watches. Fountain pens. Good wine. Great whiskey. Hubcap burgers. Alabama football, most of the time. The fact that more people can get health insurance today than a year ago. The migas at Guadalupana. Sherlock and Doctor Who. The impending release of the new Robert Ellis record. The fact that we have a great record store in Houston. My Kindle. Macintoshes. The prospect for a good year, businesswise. Photography.