An Eclectic List Of What Makes Me Happy
I went out last night, and spent most of today napping between my bed and the couch. Confession time - I gave up drinking over ten years ago, so I couldn’t blame it on a hangover. Oh, and I also went home earlier than the others (I was in my snuggly PJs by 1am). I reheated my leftover nachos mince for lunch (my first meal of the day), and since I had no plans to move much today, I made the executive decision that I could procrastinate going to the supermarket for another day.
If my Mum is reading this, yes I did get out of bed long enough to feed the cat. Since no human life depended on me that warranted staying out of bed, I embraced the Italian philosophy of ‘Dolce far Niente’, which means ‘the sweetness of doing nothing’. It doesn’t mean being lazy, it refers to the pleasure you get from being idle.
You can say that this is an eclectic collection of thoughts and musings of what I’ve learned about life and love over the last two years. Here’s to the old me, who I am today, and the adventures yet to come...let’s drink to that!
Ordering pizza for one
I’ve had pizza delivered twice in the last month - both times either I had convinced myself it was too cold to go outside, or changing out of my pyjamas and slippers was just too much effort. My delivery address is even saved on my phone now, though I seem to have enough energy to untick the box so they won’t email me their special offers. My promotions inbox is really just a graveyard of offers that I had signed up for with no real intention of using.
You have to spend a minimum of $20 to get pizza delivered, so I add in some spicy chicken and a drink. In my extensive pizza delivery experience, I’ve realised that with sides, the ideal pizza size for me is six slices. Though we all know pizza slices sizes seem to vary from being inhaled in one bite, to one big enough that if you don’t use two hands, all the toppings fall off. Now that I think about it, If I didn’t order the sides, I probably could finish the whole pizza. Then I remember that without the sides, I have to leave the house as I wouldn’t get to the $20 minimum threshold.
If I ever got to be on a first name basis with the various delivery people in my town, I would definitely have to reassess my life choices when it comes to pizza. Or maybe to just order in on different days of the week.
Getting lost is OK, actually sometimes it’s better
When I do road trips, I get lost...a lot. My friends know this, my select road trip buddies have witnessed it, though I’ve never been so lost that I couldn’t find my way home. The rule is to always add an hour or two to my estimated travel times, just in case.
Sometimes I just get curious where some road signs lead to - I mean who knew we had a national trout museum? There are so many fascinating places that you wouldn’t really know existed unless you were searching for attractions in a specific area, or in this case, trout fishing.
There’s a saying, “Sometimes what you’re looking for comes when you’re not looking at all.” I believe that. So if you plan to join me on a road trip in the future, just be prepared to take the long way round. You never know, we might even discover something cool that we didn’t realise existed...like the National Trout Museum.
The thing about online dating
Have you ever had to write an online dating bio? Trying to strike a balance between not sounding pretentious and just enough mystery to arouse curiosity is a minefield of puns, Dad jokes and just plain bizarre. Being the curious creature I am, I actually did some quick searches for tips on how to write an effective online bio. You would think that being a writer would make it easier...nope, it doesn’t.
It said to have a punchy first line which reflected your personality. Keep it brief, maybe add a bit of humour. I think I definitely nailed it with this one.
“I make Asian jokes because I can, and because I’m Asian.”
I’ve learned to be less serious about dating these days, especially when it comes to online dating. The trick is to treat each person on the other end as a human being, and don’t take it too personally if you don’t click or they don’t ask you out. Matthew Hussey explained it best when he said, “Be generous with your minutes and selfish with your hours.” Embrace opportunities to converse with more people, but if there isn’t chemistry, don’t force it, just move on.
Doing hard things can still be fun
Leading up to closing the studio last year, I had slowly lost my mojo in dance and for the most part, it felt like a chore. These days, people will only see me bust a move or two on the dancefloor, we vibe, and it’s a lot of fun. I usually run into old students at the pub and I can’t help and think to myself, “Geez, I didn’t teach you that move did I?” That teacher instinct never leaves you.
Next week I’m going to my first local samba class, well because I miss dance, and because it’s a style I’m not used to, so it will be out of my comfort zone. Which is what this journey is about, right? It’s actually at my old studio - it will be the first time in seven months since I’ve been there. Wish me luck!
Speaking of being out of my comfort zone, last year I wrote about going zip lining in Rotorua, you know, to help conquer my fear of heights. It was super fun, and this week they announced an even bigger tour - two years in the making! The longest is now a 400m zip line, I think the other one was only 250m. Listen to me...only 250m!
There are times when I have to be serious, and that’s OK, but any other time, I try to find the fun in most situations. When I’m having fun, I’m happy and it gives off a positive vibe, and that’s what I want in my life moving forward.
In between my naps, I had a quick scroll through Instagram and read this quote from Jay Shetty which said, “Thanks to the people that walked into my life and made it better. And thanks to the ones who walked out and made it amazing.” You know what, that’s so spot on. As he explained, not everyone you lose is a loss, and with that, it makes me even more grateful for those who makes this such a soul enriching journey for me.
Xo Ronna
Ronna Grace Funtelar is a thirtyish storyteller, creative, writer and slam poet currently based in New Zealand. She is a hobby hiker, photography and sunrise enthusiast with a passion for mindfully helping others live beyond their comfort zone.
Basically, a shorty who knows her life purpose.