I have an app on my phone that will send me the pictures I took of 2 to 5 years ago.  Each week I will get an email showing me the pictures small and big events with family and friends.  I am surprised at the emotion that they bring up.  What I thought were small unimportant moments now bring joy as I remember them.

A recent study revealed that rediscovering mundane experiences can make us happier than we think they will.  We generally don’t think about today’s small ordinary moments as experiences that are worthy of being rediscovered in the future.  However, studies show that we are often wrong: What is ordinary now actually becomes more extraordinary in the future — and more extraordinary than we might expect. The research suggests that undervaluing mundane events may actually lead us to forego what would be pleasurable experiences of rediscovery.

People find a lot of joy in rediscovering a music playlist from months ago or an old joke with a neighbor, even though those things did not seem particularly meaningful in the moment. The studies highlight the importance of not taking the present for granted and documenting the mundane moments of daily life to give our future selves the joy of rediscovering them.

This holiday season and into 2016 try to be more aware of the small joys.  Each moment that you have with loved ones will create happier memories for the future to enjoy.