“What do you love about where you live?”

My neighborhood is nothing special, it’s a typical small German street. Tidy, quiet, lots of green. But what let it stand out is, that I can reach everything on foot. And when I say everything, I literally mean everything, several grocery stores, a farmers market/real butcher (I do not buy supermarket meat anymore), a coffee shop, several cafes, several drug stores, all sorts of doctors (there is a dentist right across the street from me), including a vet, a cobbler, a few restaurants, there is a university, several schools, a ton of kindergartens, 2 libraries, a bunch of churches, a copy shop (for the students), well you get my point. Heck there is even a nature preserve close by and the city center isn’t far away. You can live here very comfy without a car. Another thing I really love is, that it is very green around here. Lots of ancient trees, gardens, ponds, very quiet streets and the nature preserve is just magical. I consider myself very blessed that I can live here.

“What profession do you admire most and why?”

Well that is easy! The guys from garbage removal and public cleansing service. We take those guys for granted because they never fail to show up, regardless of the weather or whatever might be going on, but did you ever think about what would happen if they wouldn’t show up? Yes, we perhaps we could tolerate one week, but at week 2, the trash would start to pile up everywhere and it would start to really stink. Now imagine how it would look and smell after 4 weeks in the summer. Or all that random trash people illegally dump at road sides. Here in our city we have the “Kehr Force” (kehr – sounds exactly like care – translates to sweep, mop). They do all the extra cleaning beside the regular garbage removal. I don’t even want to imagine how our walk ways and road sides would look without them.

These guys keep our cities clean and we should appreciate them more for all the work they do. So, yeah, it’s these guys I admire most, because I love to live in a clean city.

“List 30 things that make you happy.”

So, today I’m supposed to list 30 things that make me happy. Let’s see how far I actually come with that: dogs, my friends, the first cup of coffee in the morning, rain (mind me, we need the water), a home cooked meal, knitting a pair of sox with really luxurious wool (there is a brand that contains silk, the softest wool you have ever touched), diamond painting, walking in the close by nature preserve, the way we can enjoy TV nowadays (I grew up with only 3 channels and those would shut down between 12 am til 10ish am, needless to say, the program was pretty boring too), books by Terry Pratchett and Jim Butcher, a new piece of tech (like a new tablet, phone or PC) and my upcoming brand new kitchen.

Not even close to 30, but you see, I do not need things in order to be happy. Happiness is a choice and it comes from inside you. Yes, nice things add to that, but someone should never relay on things in order to be happy. On that note, have a pawesome sunday everybody, be happy, healthy and safe.

“Describe one habit that brings you joy.”

My dog and crafting! Both are constant source of joy. Right now my favorite crafting things are knitting and diamond painting. While knitting is a very old habit of mine, diamond painting is new to me and I love it very much. Very soothing and kinda peaceful. My dog on the other hand spreads joy and fun just by sitting there. Walking with her clears my head and keeps me somewhat fit. I can’t imagine to live without a dog ever again.

Have a pawtastic weekend everybody. Stay healthy, happy and safe.