25 Reasons To Be Happy

The last 12 months have been full of negativity and chaos. This last week, especially, has caused division and uncertainty among Americans. I'm just proposing we take a step back from all the stress and the noise, and find reasons to choose happiness. Life is still good. Here's a list I've compiled of things we can still be grateful for.

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1. A Gorgeous Sunrise

"There was never a night or a problem that could defeat sunrise or hope."-Bernard Williams

2. The Laughter of Children

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"Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be."-Whitney Houston (Greatest Love Of All)

3. Dogs

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"There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face."-Bernard Williams

4. Cats

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“A kitten is, in the animal world, what a rosebud is in the garden.”-Robert Sowthey

5. Coffee Brewing in the Morning

"To me, the smell of fresh-made coffee is one of the greatest inventions."-Hugh Jackman

6. Going to Concerts

"A live concert to me is exciting because of all the electricity that is generated in the crowd and on stage. It's my favorite part of the business, live concerts. "-Elvis Presley

7. Falling In Love

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“First best is falling in love. Second best is being in love. Least best is falling out of love. But any of it is better than never having been in love.”-Maya Angelou

8. High School Football Games

"Clear Eyes. Full Hearts. Can't Lose."

9. Pixar Movies

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"Adventure is out there."-Ellie, Up

10. Road Trips

“Some beautiful paths can't be discovered without getting lost.”-Erol Oza

11. Ellen DeGeneres

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"We focus so much on our differences, and that is creating, I think, a lot of chaos and negativity and bullying in the world. And I think if everybody focused on what we all have in common - which is - we all want to be happy."-Ellen DeGeneres

12. High Quality Friendships

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“Friendship ... is born at the moment when one man says to another 'What! You too? I thought that no one but myself . . .'”-C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

13. Christmas

“I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.”-Charles Dickens

14. Acoustic Covers

"To stand up on a stage alone with an acoustic guitar requires bravery bordering on heroism. Bordering on insanity."-Richard Thompson

15. Great Views

"Slow down and enjoy life. It's not only the scenery you miss by going to fast - you also miss the sense of where you are going and why."-Eddie Cantor

16. A First Kiss

“Hannah wasn't my first kiss, but the first kiss that mattered: the first kiss with someone who mattered.”-Jay Asher, Thirteen Reason Why

17. Throwback Disney Channel

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"That's So Suite Life of Hannah Montana." Remember that?

18. The Feeling You Get After A Good Run

"It's supposed to be hard...the hard is what makes it great."

19. The Smell Of A New Book

"So many books, so little time."-Frank Zappa

20. Broadway Shows

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"I thought it was all a flash in the pan. It wasn't until Broadway came along that I felt I had really made it."-Julie Andrews

21. Harry Potter

“We've all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That's who we really are.”-J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

22. Star Wars

"Uuuuuuur ahhhhhrrrr Uhrrr Arghhhhh"-Chewbacca

23. A Crisp Fall Morning

“It looked like the world was covered in a cobbler crust of brown sugar and cinnamon.”-Sarah Addison Allen, First Frost

24. Night-swimming

"This life is like a swimming pool. You dive into the water, but you can't see how deep it is."-Dennis Rodman

25. Sunsets

"Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky."-Rabindranath Tagore