Why it really is the simple things that make us happy

I guess we don't have to be told that it's the small things in life that really matter. Washing your car on a  warm Sunday morning, playing with your dog in the park, or seeing a family member return from a long absence are some of the things that warm the cockles of our hearts. 

And to those of us who will never be blessed with beauty, own a mansion, or find fame, it is indeed cheering news. For it is the most modest of daily pleasures that make us happiest, a poll claims. Finding a £10 note in an old pair of jeans and being told you’ve lost weight emerged as life’s greatest good mood triggers in a study of 3,000 adults.

The poll, which set out to find the top 50 things that make  people happy, revealed that happiness is accessible to us all – through the simplest day-to-day occurrences.

What’s more, by the time you read this, you’ll already be well on the way to cheery spirits – for 38 per cent of us feel happier on a Saturday than any other day of the week, particularly when we  wake up and realise the weekend starts here.

Sunshine was found to be largely responsible for us feeling jolly, featuring in the top 10, while having a quiet moment to yourself, hearing a baby laugh or the smell of freshly cut grass also change our mood for the better.

The smell of freshly cut grass makes number 38 on the happiness list

 

Most of those polled said they appreciate generosity from others – warming to those who offer an elderly person a seat on the bus or train, or who pass on their parking ticket in the car park.

The hustle and bustle of everyday life means the average person is only happy for half the week. But, a spokesman for Three Barrels Brandy, who conducted the research, said: ‘Despite not feeling entirely happy for three out of seven days of the week, it doesn’t take much to lift our spirits. ‘We can be having a terrible day when a quick thank you from the boss can and make us feel great. Small gestures from friends and family also work wonders.’

This is surely a reminder to us all that, in the fast paced world that we live in, where so many people, from greedy politicians and bankers down, are chasing a fast buck, that there are many simple pleasures in life if we would only just open our eyes and see them around us an in every sphere of our lives. Like the man said - "Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans". 

Amen to that brother!

Read more:  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2054744/Why-really-simple-things-make-happy.html?ITO=1490

Truck driver tells of moment 25 million bees escaped

Only one word comes readily to mind here - Ouch!  When 25 million bees escape and have only one thing on their stinging mind, it's time to be somewhere else - fast!

Truck driver Louis Holst has never been scared of bees, but he's rethinking his next long-haul load a day after being swarmed by 25 million of the stinging insects. Holst and his wife, Tammie, picked up 460 bee hives in South Dakota and were about 36 hours into their drive on Sunday night when he hit a sharp bend in a construction zone on Interstate 15 in southern Utah. The twist in the road toppled his trailer and sent the bees into a frenzy.



"First responders came and dragged me and my wife through the front window," Holst said. "Then we panicked." Swarmed by bees on the highway, Holst said he ripped off his shirt and began swatting the air. His wife ran. "We just started swinging our clothes," he said. "They stung her all up and down her neck."

Authorities closed the southbound lanes of I-15 near St. George for several hours while area beekeepers headed to the scene to try to corral the insects. The road was reopened early on Monday morning, and Holst said most of the bees were either dead or gone. "Nobody was prepared for anything like that," he said. At least two first responders also were stung at the scene, said Utah Highway Patrol Corporal Todd Johnson.

Holst, 48, of Gig Harbor, Washington state, said he got 10 stitches to close a gash on his forehead and was stung about a dozen times. His wife, too, suffered stings, bumps and bruises.
The 25 million bees were headed from Adee Honey Farms in Bruce, South Dakota, to near Bakersfield, California, where they stay for the winter before being used for pollination come spring, company co-owner Richard Adee said. "It's pretty much a complete loss," Adee said of the $116,000 load.

Holst's trip was among the last of 160 truckloads of bees roughly 4 billion of them the farm had been sending south for the winter, Adee said. Asked whether he'd haul bees again anytime soon, Holst who normally ferries lumber and construction materials paused. "Well," he said, "my wife's looking at me right now, so I'll say no."

Still, one thing that always comes from a seemingly clear disaster and seems relevant in this case. With the world's population of bees fast disappearing from the planet, a few million being released back into the wild can't necessarily be a bad thing!

Read more:  http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/25/truck-driver-bees-utah-crash