Happy Thoughts

Here's an excerpt from Norman Vincent Peale's The Power of Positive Thinking that you might find illustrative of HAPPY THOUGHTS:

A group of boys and girls were asked to list the things that made them the happiest. Their answers were rather touching.

Here is the boys' list:

"A swallow flying; looking into deep, clear water; water being cut at the bow of a boat; a fast train rushing; a builder's crane lifting something heavy; my dog's eyes."

And here is what the girls said made them happy:

"Street lights on the river; red roofs in the trees; smoke rising
from a chimney; red velvet; the moon in the clouds."

There is something in the beautiful essence of the universe that is expressed, though only half-articulated, by these things. To become a happy person have a clean soul, eyes that see romance in the commonplace, a child's heart, and spiritual simplicity.

Source:
Peale, Norman Vincent
The Power of Positive Thinking, Prentice-Hall, 1978.

This has been the inspiration for the mail-art project "Happy Thoughts" - a collection of works exhibiting the creativity of people and showcasing the thoughts that make people happy.