99 Pleasures: The Best Things in Life Really Are Free

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Here's an excerpt from my gigantic List O'Pleasures, a document I've been working on for years. Most everything on this list is absolutely free. Something to think about when you're out shopping this holiday season:) My gift to you.

  1. Sleeping In on a Rainy Day 
  2. Finding Money You Didn’t Know You Had Or Give that Gift to Someone
  3. Making Brief Eye Contact with Someone of the Opposite Sex 
  4. Skinny Dipping 
  5. Receiving a Real Letter or Package via Snail Mail 
  6. Hearing the Right Song at the Right Moment 
  7. Cold Cold Water with cucumbers, berries, or lemon floating in it – even better when you drink it out a champagne glass
  8. Catching a Glimpse of Bare Skin on the Opposite Sex – Go where the sexy people are and stare and lick your lips and stare some more.
  9. That seat on the crowded subway – RESLISH IT. Even better when a guy gives you his seat!
  10. For my driving lovelies- Finding a parking space right in front of the place you are going to.
  11. Realizing You Have More Time to Sleep 
  12. People Watching 
  13. Use a hair dryer to finish drying you naughty bits – It’s a decadent pleasure of sensation.
  14. A Delicious Smell – Try a new scent. Go get free samples from Sephora, Barney’s, or Sak’s.
  15. Play a game or finish a puzzle – bonus points for playing with other people!
  16. Fresh, Clean Bed Sheets 
  17. A Beautiful View – Find a rooftop or mountainside immediately
  18. Reminiscing About Old Times with Your Closest Friends 
  19. Receiving an Unexpected Compliment 
  20. Having a Good Laugh 
  21. The Feeling After a Healthy Workout 
  22. The Celebration in the Instant Something Makes Sense 
  23. Relaxing Outdoors on a Sunny Day 
  24. Playing in the Water 
  25. Making Someone Smile 
  26. Finishing What You Started 
  27. Songs that bring you back to great moments in your life
  28. Those random good-hair days when you just feel beautiful or handsome
  29. The bittersweet feeling of finishing a really good book
  30. Finally getting to sleep in your own bed after being away for a few weeks.
  31. Correctly guessing an old password on a website you haven’t visited in awhile.
  32. Waking up all by yourself a minute or two before your alarm goes off and feeling well rested.
  33. When someone tells you “yes” when you expected them to say “no.”
  34. Sitting outside during a thunderstorm. The sound of the thunder, the flash of lightning and the smell of rain to remind you of the beauty of nature.
  35. When you’re hot under your bed covers and you stick one leg out from under the covers to cool off.
  36. Realizing you were smiling the entire time you were talking to someone, right after you hang up the phone.
  37. Laughing hysterically with your friends, then pausing momentarily, looking at each other, and then laughing hysterically again.
  38. Taking the perfect picture.
  39. Popping bubble wrap.
  40. Listening to someone else’s heartbeat.
  41. The feeling you get when you’re just waking up when you’ve gotten enough sleep.
  42. The kind of friend you can say “I love you” to without implying anything but a deep platonic friendship.
  43. Seeing two elderly folks who are madly in love. It’s a sight of love that has surpassed the tests of time.
  44. Finding something you made when you were a kid.
  45. Hanging out with your closest friends and just being able to feel comfortable in your own skin around them.
  46. Being next in line.
  47. When you succeed in doing something someone said you were incapable of doing.
  48. Wind blowing through your hair.
  49. The feeling of ‘clicking’ with someone else’s personality instantly, and being able to talk about anything even if you’ve only known each other for a few hours.
  50. The humble feeling of accomplishment you get after you fix something that was broken.
  51. Pulling into your neighborhood after a long road trip.
  52. Randomly catching a glimpse of your reflection in a window or mirror and liking what you see.
  53. Seeing the person who makes your heart race, even if it’s just for a few seconds in the hallway.
  54. Hearing a new song you really like and then downloading it and listening to it over and over and over.
  55. A certain smell that instantly takes you back to another place or time in your life.
  56. Crossing things off your to-do list.
  57. Seeing somebody use and enjoy a gift you gave them.
  58. When the beer or soda foam goes up out of the glass, but doesn’t spill over.
  59. Being able to tell someone some genuine good news.
  60. The good pain of stretching your legs after sitting down for a long time.
  61. When someone scratches an itch on your back for you.
  62. When you accidentally say something that rhymes.
  63. Making momentary eye contact with a cute stranger.
  64. An honest relationship. No secrets. No lies.
  65. Running warm water over your hands when you have a chill in your body.
  66. People who make you smile just by thinking of them.
  67. Realizing there’s nowhere else you would rather be right now.
  68. Seeing a double rainbow.
  69. Taking a ridiculously long nap and feeling like a million bucks when you wake up.
  70. When you realize you have finished everything way ahead of schedule and can do whatever you want for the rest of the day.
  71. Looking at a digital clock and seeing a series of numbers, like 12:34, a pair like 10:10, or 11:11.
  72. Cleaning up your room and finding something that brings back brilliant memories hidden at the back of a drawer.
  73. The way the sun shines through the leaves of a tall tree.
  74. The exciting feeling you get when you’re getting off the plane in a city you’ve never been to before.
  75. Receiving a surprise hug from behind by someone you were looking forward to seeing.
  76. When nobody else uses the public restroom the entire time you’re in there.
  77. The feeling of a fresh mouth after you brush your teeth.
  78. Being on the beach at night.
  79. Getting a second chance.
  80. Waking up early and going someplace, like the beach or a park, and being the only one there.
  81. Having a really great day with a friend you haven’t spent time with in ages.
  82. Sneaking your own food and drinks into the movie theater.
  83. Waking up to good morning texts from someone who makes you smile.
  84. Changing into clean, dry clothes after you’ve been swimming for awhile.
  85. Hearing a song that seems to be written about exactly what’s going on in your life right now.
  86. That weightless feeling you get after a good cry and knowing you’ll be ok.
  87. Hearing a song that you haven’t heard since your childhood and realizing you still know all the words.
  88. When you make eye contact with a friend from across the room and you both automatically smile.
  89. When someone unexpectedly remembers your name.
  90. The “butterflies in your stomach” feeling of a new romantic relationship.
  91. Waking up from a weird dream and remembering every last detail.
  92. When your roommate goes away for the weekend and you have the whole apartment to yourself.
  93. When you finally yawn after an airplane flight and your ears pop back to normal.
  94. Scoring 100% on anything.
  95. Driving fast over a small hill in the road.
  96. Falling in love with someone.
  97. Turning right to the book or magazine page you were looking for.
  98. When you and a close friend finish each other’s sentences.
  99. When your jaws and cheeks ache from too much laughing.