Things That Make You Happy

I am in a terrifically good mood today, so I have decided to put together a list of things that make me happy.  Don't worry.  It won't just be about raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens.

1. Quokka

These cat sized animals are so freaking adorable!  They live in Australia and always have tiny smiles on their faces.  Apparently, Australians consider them to be pesky scavengers, but I can't help it. They are so cute!  Google Image "Quokka" for a good time.

2. Pig Beach

 

Ok.  Maybe I am weird, but I really like pigs.  I think that they are super cute, but I'll get into that in a later blog.  Pig Beach is an actual place in the Bahamas where wild pigs swim in the water with the tourists.  There is a legend that sailors may have dropped off some pigs hundreds of years ago so that they could come back and eat them, but they just never came back.  The pigs adapted and they now thrive in Exuma. Oink!

 

3. Mother Bear Project

Another charity plug, I know, but hear me out.  This is a charity where you knit a 9" teddy bear and bring it to a location near you, and they will give that teddy bear to a child in need.  It isn't a huge world need, but it is still sweet and every little bit helps.

4.Gorilla Riding a Bicycle
                   
I know. Just go with it.

5. Koko the Gorilla and her Kitten

Koko is a gorilla who was born in the San Francisco Zoo.  She now lives in a sanctuary in Hawaii.  Koko was taught to speak sign language, which might mean that she is the first non human animal that is able to communicate in a human language.  Isn't that amazing? Can you imagine being able to talk to something that isn't human?  I feel like I'm living in the Wild Thornberrys!
Anyway, the part that I really love about Koko is her pets.  Koko was given lifelike stuffed animals, but did not really like them.  She didn't play with them and continuously signed the word "sad".  She indicated that she would like a cat.  Wikipedia says, "on her birthday in July 1984, she was able to choose a kitten from a litter. Koko selected a gray male Manx from a litter of abandoned kittens and named him "All Ball". Doctor Penny Patterson, who had custody of Koko and organized the Gorilla Foundation, wrote that Koko cared for the kitten as if it were a baby gorilla. Researchers said that she tried to nurse All Ball and was very gentle and loving. They believed the kitten, and her skills gained through playing with dolls, would be a tool to help Koko learn how to nurture an offspring. In December of that same year, All Ball escaped from Koko's cage and was hit and killed by a car. Later, Patterson said that when she signed to Koko that All Ball had gone, Koko signed "Bad, sad, bad" and "Frown, cry, frown, sad". Patterson also reported later hearing Koko making a sound similar to human weeping.
In 1985, Koko was allowed to pick out two new kittens from a litter to be her companions. The animals she chose, later named "Lipstick" and "Smokey", were also Manxes like All Ball.^"



 

6. Random Acts of Kindness

I am so excited that Random Acts of Kindness is becoming more of a thing.  There is a great website called http://www.kindspring.org/ that has these things called Smile Cards, Kindness Ideas, and the Pay-It-Forward Game.  It's all really touching and thoughtful.

 

7. Love Letters to Strangers

 

 Another thing that is just about being nice just to be nice.  There are 2 sites that I really like if you are interested in this.  http://loveletters2strangers.com/ and http://www.lettersfromstrangers.com/ are both great sites.  letters from strangers is a collection of various encouraging letters from random people to other random people.  It is very sweet.  Love Letters 2 Strangers is a little different.  This is a project where you hand out or mail hand written letters to people that you have never met before.  It is an exercise in both kindness and bravery.  They don't have to be complicated or deep.  They just have to be nice.

 

That's about it for now.  Leave me some of your favorite things in comments. :)