Stuff That Makes Me Happy: Bourbon On The Rocks And A Freshly Cut Lawn

I like to complain. It’s my nature. It’s fun. It’s a guaranteed way to avoid sentimentality, melodrama, and similarly ghey emotions. Hence, it’s mostly what I do here. Some stuff, though, does make me happy. Today, the first in a what may a regular occurrence: Posts about said stuff.

The inspiration also became the title to this post. Granted, a glass of bourbon and just about anything will make me happy. The color, aroma, taste and, of course, the head change, all make the world’s most divine drink. Beer fills me up and makes me tired. Wine is too sweet. Rum, tequila, vodka and gin all need something extra. Scotch competes, but bourbon – maybe because it’s the one true American drink – is sui generis.

I love it at the end of a bad day. I love it after I’ve come home from work and then gone for a hard ride or run. I love it as desert after a night “out.” But most of all, I love it on my front porch as the day ends. The sun sets through the trees. The cicadas buzz. A few cars hum in the distance on Youree Drive. Fireflies start to light. I sit in my Adirondack chair and enjoy life.

I enjoy it even more on a night like tonight, when I can also enjoy my own work. In our group of friends, I believe I’m the only one who cuts his own grass. That’s partly because I’m cheap, but also because I like to do at least one or two things on my own. Cutting the yard requires no special knowledge, just a couple of hours, not even that if you skip the trimming and raking. The reward, though, more than outweighs the time cost. Not only do you have the aroma of fresh cut grass, and the view of the nicely ordered yard, but the knowledge that you did it. Sure, that doesn’t sound like much; it’s not like I just painted the Sistine Chapel. Still, given little I can actually do around my own house, I’ll take even the small accomplishments.

In short, the contentment of bringing order to my yard combined with the relaxation of my favorite drink makes me very, very happy.

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