On Being Happy

Call me old-fashioned but one of my favourite movies of all time is the ‘Sound of Music’. For the uninitiated, the ‘Sound of Music’ tells the tale of a young nun-to-be who is sent to be a governess to the seven children of a handsome Navy Captain. As a musical, it was peppered with delightful and easy to remember songs such as ‘Do Re Mi’, ‘Edelweiss’, ‘Climb Every Mountain’ and many more. But my favourite song was the delightful ‘My Favourite Things’ sang by the lovely governess to her wards to calm their fear during one stormy night. It talks about whiskers on kittens, warm woolen mittens and raindrops on roses.

Well, one of my favourite things is the sweet scent of warm butter cakes, cinnamon raisin buns, rich chocolate brownies and many more baked goodies wafting through our home as they rise to perfection in my trusted oven. Every time I feel like I’ve been ran over by a steamroller or smashing another piece of china, I would revisit my well-thumbed notebook containing some of my favourite recipes. Soon, I would be covered in a thin mist of flour and splattered by bits of butter. And I couldn’t be happier. Within hours, I would soon be admiring another baked creation that comes from several unassuming and ordinary ingredients. Calm happiness prevails as I proudly present it to my husband, the designated tester, although his opinion can’t really be taken seriously. After all, he knows better not to say anything else but ‘nice’. And I continue to be happy.