happiness is- this might be sickly sweet

The October issue of i-D is called the ‘happiness issue’. On the cover is printed the following “happiness is what I call fashion!”

On page 20 are the musings of some readers on happiness. ZZZZZzzzzz said: “My idea of happiness is drinking a nice cup of tea and then getting out the fancy dress and performing music videos, just because I can.” (ZZZZZzzzz, 12 Aug 2006, 10:15) One Michael Crow said: “I found 50p on the pavement. It made me so happy I left it for another lucky person.” (Michael Crow, 11 Aug 2006, 03:38)

Of course, some of the things said were a bit sickly sweet, but it was nice to read about what makes people happy. And it was fun.

So I decided to go on about what makes me happy. A bit. Or things that made me happy recently.

This morning Casey was jumping up and down (he is a 15-year old boy with the strangest mind I’ve encountered in a 15-year old) not able to wait to tell me about his new greatest moment. In his hand he was holding a faded 1p coin. He picked it up the previous night while on his way to a sushi restaurant with his dad. Picking up the smallest unit in the British monetary system became the greatest moment of his life. It makes sense that this would be Casey’s new greatest moment. I do of course not expect anyone else to understand, but it made me happy. And is making me happier as the day progresses.

Joanna Newsom’s voice. If you’ve never heard of her it is time you make the effort of downloading some of her music. I got a couple of new songs tonight. “lead me to the water lord, I sure am thirsty” from the song Sadie had me hopping. Listen to Joanne Newsom. Other song titles include Flying a Kite, Bridges and Balloons, Sprout and the Bean…

Listen to her.

Being picked up by Alexander, my legs around his waist and my hands on his shoulders. Sometimes he does a little dance and tries to make me move along so I can look like my mom ‘jiving’ along to Noot vir Noot. Sometimes he uses it to render me defenseless against his tickle tactics.

I had two pleasant conversations with overworked Woolworths employees in the dullest place on earth. Both times I was also pretty worn-out. The first time a girl convinced me to buy chocolate pudding to go with the ice-cream I picked-up on a grim day. The second time a guy confessed to me how tired he was and that he did not feel like saying “I’m fine, thank you.” It made moments.

Getting a myspace ‘space’ made me happy. And then realizing how many people are out there. Maybe that made me feel a little safer, and happier.

Of course, getting the new i-D in the mail today made me particularly happy.

Ryan McGinley had the word penis tattoo-ed inside his lip. In his own words “… so that I’d always have a penis in my mouth.” When asked if he is worried about it fading after a while (apparently these tattoos do) he said “…I think I’m gonna die with a penis in my mouth.”

Some forms of happiness is just meant to be strange I guess, but I loved his statement.

And now I will smile for a bit.