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For as long as I can remember, certain things make me slow down, smile, and sigh. And not just any sigh, but a deep, relaxed, heart-warmed sigh.
What makes me sigh? Things like lightning bugs flickering at night . . . the sight or sound of an ocean . . . the smell of fresh cut grass . . . a baby’s belly laugh . . . towels fresh from the dryer . . . a man’s scruffy cheeks at the end of the day . . . the twinkle in an eye just before the grin breaks through . . . the smell of freshly baked bread . . . the soft silky whiskers on my dog’s ears . . . driving with the windows up and the radio blasting a good tune . . . Oh, there are so many.
Certain songs give me happy sighs. This song in particular always does it:
The sight of this gives me a happy sigh, too:
What gives you happy sighs? What song? What animal(s)? What sort of scenery? Which scents? Share your happy sighs with us!
72 Comments on “Things that make you go *sigh* . . .”
You can track this conversation through its atom feed.
A thing that brings me a happy sigh is a warm loving hug from New Guy, seeing my cat Acheron smile at me, the scent of freshly mown grass at twilight as a storm rolls in and to be honest, there are way too many songs that bring a smile to my face for me to list but I do love Eric Carmen’s song Make Me Lose Control. It brings back memories of dancing and freaking out when someone would want to watch me dance.
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 5:24 am.
Kelly, freshly mowed grass as a storm rolls in … ahhhh! Very nice! I need to check out that song. I haven’t heard of it, but I’m always ready for a another sigh-inducing song.
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 8:43 am.
Anything that touches my heart! My happy sighs could be spoken out loud and/or mentally. My heart is pretty picky, though.
But I’ll give some examples: “This I Promise You” by N’Sync and “I Do” by Westlife and “From This Moment” by Shania Twain are all good songs that makes me sigh happily.
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 5:32 am.
I know the N’Sync and Twain one (I love her, btw — I hope her career gets a good restart) and those are terrific songs! I need to look up the Westlife one, though. I can see that I’m going to spend a lot of fun time on itunes today!
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 8:45 am.
The sound of my niece’s giggles. Having my dogs curled up with me on the bed at tne end of the day. The smell of the first cup of coffee. I’m a huge Bon Jovi fan so the first song I listen to in the morning. Digging my toes in the warm sand and just watching the waves at the beach. That’s one of my favorite ones. When I turn to page one of a brand new book and don’t know what adventures wait for me.
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 6:31 am.
Oh, the sweetness of a sleeping dog. I forgot that one and I sigh over it every day at least once. And opening a new book — ohhh, yesssss! Those are all good ones, aida!
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 8:46 am.
Oh almost forgot the best one. When my three year old niece goes into my room, turns on the c.d. player and dances to Bon Jovi.
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 6:39 am.
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 8:46 am.
driving along the So Cal oceanfront at dusk with the windows open and a little bit of heat on in the car
freshly shaved legs on crisp, clean sheets
waves crashing on the shore
a hammock in the shade on a sunny day
hearing a long forgotten song that takes me to a happy place
being someplace far, far from the city where you can see a truly awesome amount of stars
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 7:14 am.
Sigh. Beautiful ones. And now I want to go on vacation with you! I can tell you know how to plan ‘em.
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 8:47 am.
Puppies, Sunrise, kittens, babies, flower gardens, lakes
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 7:28 am.
Flower gardens! That’s a good one. There’s a garden near my house — a huge one owned by the city. When I first moved here, I thought it was sort of silly. I mean, a garden is a park, right? So just call it a park. But then I went and oh WOW, it’s not just a park. It’s a GARDEN. Gorgeous. And yes, it makes me sigh. There’s so much beauty to soak in; it’s breathtaking.
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 8:49 am.
Sitting atop a horse, at full gallop
Coming down a ski slope, the sun in your face
A whale (or orca) breaking the water surface just before your nose
The smell of home made food or bread
The warmth of the sun on our terrace
The sea breeze
…
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 7:47 am.
Nickie, I wish I could ride well enough to experience that gallop. I just KNOW that would be joy-inducing.
And oh, how I’ve always wanted to see a whale that close. I need to travel more!
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 8:50 am.
The sight of my girls snuggling together on the couch reading.
The silence in the house when said kids are fast asleep in their beds.
My puppy.
The sweet smell of a newborn baby.
Songs that take me back to a special time and place.
A nice glass of wine at the end of a hectic day.
Finishing the last pages of good book.
I love What A Wonderful World. It was the song my Dad and I danced to at my wedding. *Sigh*
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 7:47 am.
Aw, your dad danced with you to that song! **sniff, sniff** That is so sweet!
And silence in the house after the kids are asleep (and you and your guy sipping a glass of wine) … that is a beautiful, lovely moment indeed. Ahhhhh!
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 8:53 am.
My newest sigh is watching my daughter race through the water of the pool on the swim team. She is doing so well. Someone else making dinner is a good sigh. Also, a field of golden wheat right before it is cut, seeing all the head dance in the breeze.
I can’t get on board with the whole fresh cut grass….it sets off my allergies
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 8:52 am.
I loved watching my kiddos play sports. I enjoyed every wet, cold, hot, shivery, sweaty moment.
I’d love to see a field of wheat like that. They always show it in the movies, but all they grew in TN while I was growing up was corn, green beans, and tomatoes, which are not nearly so beautiful as wheat.
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 8:55 am.
I’m originally from the county in KS that is now called ‘the breadbasket of the world’ because more wheat is grown there than in any other spot on earth. It is certainly a sight every year.
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 3:22 pm.
Seeing my daughter sleeping with her baby in her arms
The smell before a storm
Coming home finding dinner waiting for me that I didn’t have to cook
Smell and feel of fresh sheets on the bed
Sitting by a warm fire with a blanket and a book
Relaxing on the beach with the salty warm breeze blowing
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 8:52 am.
Julie, I can’t even imagine the sigh-joy of watching your daughter sleeping with her baby in her arms. That is one of those oh-my-gosh moments that you wish you could catch in a bottle and keep forever.
And I LOVE the smell before a storm. Just thinking about that made me sigh. Thank you!
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 8:56 am.
At the end of the day, when Nikki (my dog) runs out of energy, and she circles in my lap to lay down for a nice cuddle.
“… and they lived happily ever after.” The End
Getting home after a long trip.
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 9:07 am.
Awww, Susan, that’s a super special moment, too. You KNOW you’re home then. Btw, congrats on #5 on the NYT list! You’re ROCKIN’ it!
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 10:11 am.
Happy sighhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 11:58 am.
I love that song, madly.
Things that make me sigh with happiness…my garden, blooming, kittens frolicking, the sight of the mountains in the morning, my dog’s smile….
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 9:08 am.
Barbara, I have a dog who can smile, too! Only one of them can do it, but it’s AMAZING when he grins and his tongue lolls out the side. Makes me chuckle and sigh both.
And the mountains in the morning … sigh. Florida has its beauty, too, but oh, I do miss my misty mountains in the morning.
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 10:13 am.
Sunrises & sunsets, for me the most glorious time of the day.
my dog when she comes to snuggle beside me or DH and gives her own contented sigh.
Babies.
A long hot shower
Getting into bed after a long day
A satisfying ending to an excellent book.
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 9:12 am.
Sue, showers … how COULD I have forgotten hot showers? That’s a very, very important one!
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 10:14 am.
my first sip of coffee in the morning
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 9:16 am.
Ahhh, I treasure that, too. Suzy, that’s an excellent one!!! I never drank coffee before I met Hot Cop because my dad’s coffee always made me choke — it was soooo strong. But now that I’ve had Hot Cop’s gourmet coffee, oh. my. gosh. TOTALLY different and it starts my day off with a happy smile every time.
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 2:15 pm.
I love that song!
Things that make me let out a happy sigh; a quiet moment with a good book, a long hot shower/bath, the moment my kids go to sleep at night, rainy days, back rubs, freshly cleaned laundry, new bedsheets, climbing into a warm bed on a cold night, (and this one’s complicated) when a man (my hubby) puts his hand behind my neck or cups my jaw while we kiss (such a simple gesture, but it never fails to make me sigh).
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 10:04 am.
Oh Cheri, that is a very, VERY sweet gesture, that extra touch while kissing. You made me sigh a LOT with that list, but the last one really got me. So sweet!
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 10:17 am.
A walk in a forest
The view from a high perch down on a valley
My puppy and my cat looking in my eyes
Photographs of important memories
The twinkle in my husband’s eyes
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 10:30 am.
The twinkle in a man’s eyes . . . that’s something, isn’t it? It made me sigh just thinking about it, especially when you’re the only one in the room that knows what he’s thinking.
These are lovely ones, Madeline. Thank you!
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 2:16 pm.
Lets see…
Gardenias blooming, and frest cut grass in the fall(makes me think football season is here!) My dogs, they both smile too! Scenery would be the beach. My mom laughing. For some reason my pea for a brain cannot think of a song. As soon as I hit submit it will come to me!
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 10:46 am.
Another happy sigh is hearing birds chirping their familiar, playful songs.
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 1:07 pm.
Except SUPER early in the morning … I don’t have a happy sigh in me yet.
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 2:18 pm.
Football season — oh, how I miss thee!!!
Kelly, you have some great ones, but I especially like your mother laughing. I never thought of that, but that does make me sigh, too. It’s a very, very special sound. 
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 2:18 pm.
babies laughing….like in commercial with dog licking babies toes…cute kittens and puppies. A dad snuggled with baby or having ta party all dressed up with daughter. Looking through photos and remembering when picture was taken
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 11:00 am.
There’s something SO sigh-able about a man with a child or a baby, isn’t there? It gets me every time. Alisha, that’s a truly beautiful one.
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 2:19 pm.
Alex O’Loughlin gives me many happy sighs as I’ve been watching Hawaii Five-O lately!!! Several per episode! Has he ever been a FROS? <3
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 11:36 am.
Yup! He’s been a FROS, but maybe it’s time to do him again. I’ll check my FROSian schedule and see. He’s very sexah!
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 2:19 pm.
One thing that makes me sigh is hearing my g-daughter say, “I love you Nana,” just as she’s drifting off to sleep for the night.
There are more, but I’m on my way out for errands. TTFN
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 11:37 am.
Awww, that’s adorable. Donna, little ones are simply precious as they drift off to sleep. My great grandma used to say “A sleeping child is all sweetness and no mischief.” I’m sure she wasn’t talking about me, though.
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 2:21 pm.
Flickering candlelight… a soft summer breeze… a good book
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 11:37 am.
And if you have them all together — HEAVEN!
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 2:21 pm.
The moment I see hubby on friday evening. (because of the job we only see each other in the weekend)
My kids while they’re laughing and playing.
Our three months old kittens when they curl up on my legs for a little nap.
The smell of lavender.
My first sip of tea in the morning
A big bite of chocolate.
A happy ending in a book.
Bryan Adams I do it for you and To really love a woman
Sweet little nothings in spanish or french
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 11:53 am.
Alie, that has to be tough for you guys, but wow, I bet those reunions are memorable.
And ‘sweet little nothings in Spanish or French’—- ohhhhhh yesssssssssss!
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 2:22 pm.
My neighbor’s ducks crossing the road in front of me, especially when they have new babies and Mom has to go back and scold the straggler back into line.
“Nessun dorma” from Turandot by Puccini, especially when sung by a young Luciano Pavarotti.
The final movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, his Ode to Joy.
Settling into a bed with clean sheets, in cold room, with my dogs and cats under the covers and snuggled up to me.
A hot cup of Earl Gray and a new book to read with an afternoon to read it from cover to cover.
Scenery? The French Quarter in New Orleans at sunrise after a storm. The streets are washed clean, the smell of beignets and chickory coffee at Cafe du Monde and the sound of a carriage and horse breaking the silence.
The beach at Biloxi just before a storm rolls in. You can smell the rain and feel it on your skin.
One or more of my dogs curling up on my feet when they realize I am at the computer for the day writing rather than going in to work. They do a happy sigh and so do I.
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 12:00 pm.
Louisa, these are so powerful! This one made me sigh just reading it: Scenery? The French Quarter in New Orleans at sunrise after a storm. The streets are washed clean, the smell of beignets and chickory coffee at Cafe du Monde and the sound of a carriage and horse breaking the silence.
Wow. Just . . . wow.
And I bet your dogs do love it when you stay home to snuggle. I know mine love it when I do.
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 2:23 pm.
A really beautiful morning, opening day of the State Fair, baby snuggles, and a good, tight hug (no wimpy ones!).
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 12:30 pm.
Haley, those are gorgeous. I’m with you on the tight hugs, too. I hate a wimpy hug. Let me FEEL it!
And oh, the Fair. That brings back such great memories of bright colors and giggles, straw covered dirt, funnel cakes, and big teddy bears. Lovely!
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 2:33 pm.
My greatest sighs come from looking at pictures of Jason Momoa:)
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 12:38 pm.
Lol! I bet those are big sighs, too.
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 2:33 pm.
Fat gooey brownies
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 2:46 pm.
Reading this has made me crave a fat warm gooey brownie!
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 7:33 pm.
****sigh****
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 8:52 pm.
Christmas dinner. All my adult children in attendance and no one is fighting or spilling milk like when they were young.
Floating on the boat in the warm sunshine. Mr. Gibson manning the music.
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 2:48 pm.
Christmas dinner with no fights … now that IS a sigh-able moment.
And so is the floating in the sun part, too. There’s something about sunshine, isn’t there?
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 8:53 pm.
My latest happy sigh song is “Knee Deep” from the Zac Brown Band. “My only worry in the world; is the tide gonna reach my chair”.
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 5:09 pm.
Oh, Suzie, that’s a great song. I’m off to listen to it now!
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 8:53 pm.
Thing that makes me “sigh” is getting lots of loving hugs from all my nieces and nephews when they come to visit or I visit them.. And those sweet baby kisses I get from my sweet wee baby great nieces and nephews that have come along.. I can just close my eyes right now and feel them all..
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 6:43 pm.
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 8:54 pm.
There’s this moment in the summer, where it’s not too hot and not too cool, that I drag my friends out for twilight dinner at some bistro. And they agree because I have charm and grace and a blackbelt in guilt and bonus points in charisma….as well as extra points modesty *cough*. Oh! and I AM A FAIR AND GENTLE MAIDEN! dagnabbit. And were out and chatting and jokes are flying left and right and I just sit back and watch my friends being just wonderful and I sigh, because my life is freaking awesome.
The moment I see the Christmas Tree.
Kittens…and playful cats and puppies…and big dopey dogs.
They make me grin.
Little girls in ballerina skirts being the little lady.
Little boys with the unrepentant grin on their faces. “I doed it…I knew I was gonna get in trouble…but I doed it anyway.”
My family around a table together.
The minute when I start another Masked Avenger story, and I write the lines, “TIS I! THE MASKED AVENGER!” I never know what she’s going to do next, what chaos will ensue. I swear, it’s my Batman moment when I think up her adventures.
When my guy kisses me behind my ear and whispers outrageous compliments to get me to do something for him. (He had me at hello.) Or when he’s hot and sweaty and totally concentrating on something important like, mulch, and suddenly looks up and gives me the twinkly eyed grin. My heart goes pitter pat I tell ya.
Coming here. You guys make me smile. Because some of you are too twisted for primetime, and that’s what I love about you all.
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 7:19 pm.
Pesky, oh wow. Your bistro night made me think of a bunch of those ‘perfect moments’ when you get with just the right people at just the right time — yes, that’s UBER sigh worthy.
And yes, you get BONUS POINTS for modesty. Teehee!
I love your little boy evil grin, too. I had/have a boy like that. He melts my heart with that smile even now.
And why yes, I do believe we are too twisted for primetime, which is why we need to do a Tour of Italy together at some time, and sit in the perfect weather and watch a hunky Italian guy cook for us while we drink and tell jokes and sit back and grin because we’re all so frickin’ awesome.
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 9:15 pm.
Any country where hello and good-bye use the same word is on my list of places to go.
Posted on June 8, 2012 at 8:22 am.
We really need a LIKE button.
Posted on June 8, 2012 at 10:02 am.
The first day of summer vacation (tomorrow!!!), leaving on vacation, coming home from vacation, snuggling with my 8 yo dd, especially after she comes up to me and says, ‘I need a hug,’ and knowing that I don’t have to make dinner.
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 7:52 pm.
Janae, you lucky woman you! Are you going somewhere fun? Or just chillaxing at home?
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 9:19 pm.
I’m in full vacation planning mode. The kids and I are are heading to Montana later this summer, while my dh works on the movie coming out in September. Some of the things we’ll be doing in Montana are, hanging out with tons of family, sapphire mining, gold panning, 19th century melodrama, and shopping at my favorite vintage clothing store.
But I survived 2 pool parties, today. I’m hoping that tomorrow’s pool party is a drop off because we’re heading into a busy weekend. Come Monday, I’m chillaxing.
Posted on June 8, 2012 at 12:11 am.
Love that puppy picture!
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 10:55 pm.
The burn of a fresh coca-cola ..Mmm ‘the pause that refreshes’..
Wind in my hair – music blaring – singing at the top of my lungs..
The EXPERIENCE of a new (or new to me) book – love the feel, smell, the emotions they EVOKE
Hearing my nephew say ” I love you ”
Puppy kisses
Shopping!!
Wine
Posted on June 7, 2012 at 11:37 pm.