Little Things That Are Oddly Satisfying

When life’s getting you down, it’s important to stay positive and remember all the little things that make you happy.  Here are some very little things that make my life just that little bit better.

Kicking off fender fudge:

The husband will be the first to tell you all the drawbacks of living in a state that regularly sets temperature and snowfall records.  Granted, the polar vortexes, treacherous commutes, and daily windshield scraping can leave a person longing for swaying palms. But believe it or not, there are many wonderful things about living in the north during winter, or what the husband sarcastically calls the best seven months of the year.  These include things like white Christmases, snowshoeing & skiing, weather-related school cancellations, and of course, fender fudge.

Not long ago, as I approached my car to run errands, I discerned that the temperature was just right for a fender fudge release party.  With uncontained delight, I walked around my snow-encrusted automobile and spent several enjoyable minutes kicking away at the snowy masses, watching with pleasure as they dislodged from my car in great wheel-well-shaped clumps, each one hitting the pavement with a satisfying splunkshchhh.

Indisputable evidence of a fender fudge release party.

Tearing perforations:

The satisfaction is both auditory and tactile.  The delightful zzzziiiiipppp sends a little shiver down my spine.  Gets me every time.

Shuffling cards:

There’s just something about achieving the perfectly executed riffle-bridge combination; it’s gratifying on a visceral level.  I believe, scientifically speaking, it tickles the same part of the brain as perforation-ripping.  And probably drugs.  I daresay this should be the next area of exploration in addiction treatment research.

Tearing off a citrus peel in one long piece:

So rewarding.

Having a bill that ends up in an exact dollar amount:

The receipt below was so close.  I actually spent some time pondering how I could have spent differently to achieve an exact $100.00.  That would have been a real day brightener!  Instead, I got to hear the husband whinge about two bags of groceries costing a hundred bucks.  (You should see his liquor store receipts. Oh wait.  You’re about to.)

Feeling cheated,  I sat back and waited . . . for several months.

Liquor store receipt.  I like the even dollar amount.  I don’t like the total, and this is when he’s being “thrifty.”

Pulling rabbit fur tufts:

Alas, with the passing of our beloved bun this past summer, this is no longer something I can look forward to.  With our new bun, an English Angora, we find huge clumps on the floor – no pulling required.  So instead, we are learning to find satisfaction in the weekly electric shaving ritual.  A two-human/one-rabbit job, it’s mostly an exercise in awkward bunny yoga poses and stress management, but every so often a pass of the razor grabs a satisfyingly hefty clump of fur and, for a split second, all is right with the world . . .

Near the end of the any shedding cycle, our bun’s fur always begged to be detufted.

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So what little things are oddly satisfying to you?