You know the lyrics to the song. It says ‘sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy’. In fact, sunshine doesn’t have that effect on me. Perhaps I take it for granted. Tropical dwellers like me run to the shades instead.

But I simply love gentle breezes. They quite literally do calm my soul and lift my spirit. I savor every draft that comes by when I relax at a park, on the beach, on my sofa, or by the pool – it really doesn’t matter where. And when I am not lazing, a sudden whiff would surely sidetrack me.

Lately, I started noticing subtle chirping, singing and tweeting as I spend the first minutes of the morning by the window in prayer. Have the birds reappeared after all these years? Or, had I been deaf?

So I decided to take inventory of the things that make me happy:

- Fresh air after the rain I close my eyes and take it all in.

- Waking up at day break Then figuring it is Saturday.

- Nostalgia, Especially the kind invoked by a long forgotten song they play on the radio

- Working out Not the exercising itself, but I find my morale boosted for hours after each session. By the way, exercising is a great anger management tool.

- My five year old Certain innocent gestures she makes when she is preoccupied in play drive my love quotient up! Its funny how I can’t put a finger on exactly what those gestures are.

- Reading a book, especially fiction, And dozing off in the process.

- Seeing a piece of work take shape It triggers when I painstakingly finger out the first bars of a piano score, and realize that the piece is indeed quite beautiful. It also happens for my other hobby, which is paper cutting.

Obviously, these are not recent self-discoveries. On reflection, I realize that I had hardly allowed myself much time to linger and enjoy each of these experiences.

In our hurried lives, we place great importance in our careers. By and by, the deadlines rob us of our capacity to be happy.

They say we should take time to smell the roses. If you don’t think you have that luxury, you are getting the point - these are all blessings that actually come free.