An article in the British papers last week talked about the things that make British people “feel great”. And you know what single thing makes them happy?
It’s not winning the lottery; it’s not a new job; it’s not securing a multi-million business deal; it’s not getting a new smartphone or meeting the Queen. No.
What makes people feel great most is: sleeping in a freshly-made bed. Hear! hear! The article went on to list a whole lot other things that make people’s days. The second best thing, for example, is “feeling the sun on your face” and the third is “a random act of kindness from a stranger”.
I often wish that our National Statistics Office takes a break from counting the number of pigs in Malta (going down, in case you’re interested) and conducts surveys about things which would throw light on the way we live as islanders.
Would carcading, for example, be one of the things that make us ‘feel great’? Or maybe merely eating Twistees would do the trick? In the absence of NSO action, I rallied my troop of friends, by now honorary members of this column.
Several said that smells made them happy: “The smell of humidity at my nanna’s old house”, “the smell of new books”, “the smell of freshly baked bread”, “the smell of coffee”, “the smell of freshly cut grass”, “the smell of a smoke pipe” and “the smell of schoolbooks plastic covers”.
Most of my girlfriends said that “waking up to the birds singing” and “without the alarm clock” made their day, as well as flowers, the feeling of sand beneath bare feet, and “sitting down for tea”.
I also got some, um, original responses. “It’s definitely popping bubble wrap” or “I like it when I’m doing the laundry and I’m going through the pockets of trousers to empty them of tissues and I find some €5 note. Hurrah!”
Then there was: “I like it when I scrub clean the bathroom, I stand up, put my yellow gloved hand on my hips and nod at my ouvre: that’s when I feel that there’s order in the world.”
What makes me feel great? Hanging out the laundry. Watching my breath float away on a cold winter day
“Hmm. I feel great when I read the Daily Mail,” said a friend of mine. “Like this morning, I got to know that eating peppers can make me more attractive, cheese can help me lose weight and milk is the best thing to drink after exercise.”
He did add, however, that it is “not always so cheery”. “Heq, the other day it told me that because I snore, then I might have early signs of dementia; and that a volcanic eruption will destroy humanity; and that I will get a wrinkly ‘tech neck’ because I spend loads of time looking downwards to tap away on my mobile and tablet. But on the whole, I’d say it boosts my morale,” he added a tad unsurely.
There were some romantic answers, the best of which was: “What makes me feel great is when we’re at a crowded party and I catch my girlfriend’s eyes and she smiles at me from across the room. It’s like time stands still and there’s only us. And it’s a happy time.”
And there were some food-related ‘great feelings “Eating breakfast makes me feel great. I love the fruit, the muesli, the yoghurt – makes me feel the day is so full of promise”; “My first coffee of the day gives me a boost. I drink it and perk up, ready to face anything”. Other friends claim that eating chocolate, or sipping a glass of whisky or smoking a Tuscan cigar tops the list.
Pets feature heavily in cheering up. “I feel great whenever I get home and I find the dog waiting for me at the door, bouncing to greet me”; “I love it when my dog sits next to me, nuzzling me to pat her and all I have to do is keep telling her what a good dog she is”; “I just enjoy carrying my fat cat around the house like she’s a cuddly toy – her warmth makes me feel that all is well with the world”.
For some, exercise does the trick: “My daily morning swim”, “Jogging three kilometres a day”, “Cycling on Saturday afternoons”, “Playing football” and “Shouting Goal when my football team wins”.
According to my eight-year-old daughter “spotting a rainbow” is the thing that makes her feel great. That and “eating ice-cream” and “thinking of Shrek”. “I also like it when it’s raining and we leave a cup outside to see if it fills up with water,” she said.
What makes me feel great? Dancing in the kitchen. Hanging out the laundry. Watching my breath float away on a cold winter day. Watching my daughter sleep. Driving and singing out loud to my favourite songs on the radio. Looking at the moon and stars at night. Feeling raindrops on my face. Feeling the sun on my face.
I’m thinking how lucky we are: all great things come for free.
krischetcuti@gmail.com
Twitter: @KrisChetcuti