I’m short on thought today.
A list always comes in handy when that happens. All of us have made lists in our lives, for various reasons. But some people really take it to the max. I used to be more of a list-maker than I am today. Maybe it is the pandemic, but much of what I do on a daily basis is repetitive. So most list-making is no longer necessary for me. I suppose that makes me happy.
I frequently make a grocery list, as I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, more than the daily recommended amounts. Most days, I eat about six or eight apples. I know they make me happy. So I put them on my list.
But lists come in all shapes and sizes. Now there seem to be lists for everything. The ones that tell us what is good and what is bad. The top movies. The best cars. The worst cars. The top-rated places to eat. The comfiest mattresses. And on and on.
Today I found a list that lets us know about the happiest cities in America. It was surveyed before the pandemic hit. I’m not sure those happy-city-standings still exist. This data was gathered by WalletHub. They looked at a number of different metrics, with categories including community and environment, income and employment, and emotional and physical well-being. So for what it is worth, here are the top 25.
1. Plano, Texas
2. Irvine, California
3. Madison, Wisconsin
4. Fremont, California
5. Huntington Beach, California
6. Fargo, North Dakota
7. Grand Prairie, Texas
8. San Jose, California
9. Scottsdale, Arizona
10. San Francisco, California
11. Bismarck, North Dakota
12. Overland Park, Kansas
13. Santa Rosa, California
14. Austin, Texas
15. Sioux Falls, South Dakota
16. Pearl City, Hawaii
17. Glendale, California
18. San Diego, California
19. St. Paul, Minnesota
20. Charleston, South Carolina
21. Gilbert, Arizona
22. Anaheim, California
23. Raleigh, North Carolina
24. Cape Coral, Florida
25. Cedar Rapids, Iowa
As you can see from the list, there are a LOT of happy-ass people in California. I might add that it is legal to smoke marijuana there. As you can also see, Ohio doesn’t look very happy at all. Nor do any of the surrounding states, such as Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, or even Michigan.
I wonder if making lists had any impact on the happy factor in those cities. For now, in the midst of the morose Midwest, I’ll just keep writing down all those little things that make this the happiest place in the world for me.
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“The true secret of happiness lies in the taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life.” – William Morris
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“Happiness consists more in conveniences of pleasure that occur everyday than in great pieces of good fortune that happen but seldom.” – Benjamin Franklin
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“Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.” – Denis Waitley
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