Much of this was transplanted from my journal, where I started a list shortly after realizing I wasn’t sad anymore. I added some, and thought it was worth sharing.
This list is updated frequently. Come back whenever you need something nice to read!
Making art.
Walking in the dark.
Fun scary stories.
Dogs.
My family.
The rain.
The snow.
Early, early mornings and late, late nights.
Going barefoot.
Soft blankets.
Food.
Popping my ears after they’ve been plugged.
Guessing the right answer on tests.
Making people laugh.
Learning useless trivia.
Music.
Showers.
Clean sheets.
Crickets in the summer.
Making funny videos and crazy pictures.
Movies and tv shows.
Predicting the end of stories.
Books.
Getting invited to things.
Inviting people to things.
Being known for my interests and knowing others for theirs.
Being known for being trustworthy.
The Big Dipper. (Yes, specifically that one.)
Cold oceans and foggy beaches.
Little kids wanting to hold my hand.
Being offered someone’s baby.
Getting around in ways I normally don’t (the frontrunner, a bus).
Lightning and thunder.
That one poem, The Orange.
Invictus.
Happy dogs wanting to be my friend.
Making my family laugh.
Bird songs.
Milkshakes.
Nighttime showers.
When June comes up to me and squeaks her toy at me to show me.
Bike rides.
Doing that stupid laugh that makes your stomach hurt and your ribs ache.
Soft sand.
When the rain makes mist blow up into the street from the cars and it feels like you’re driving through hyperspace.
Getting someone to watch a show I like and the joyful agony of holding in my spoilers.
Stubbing your toe on something and everyone getting mad at it on your behalf.
Going over the top for other peoples birthdays until they’re blushing and grinning and going all “Nooo stoooop” but they’re laughing anyways.
When June smacks me with her scratchy little paw to make me keep petting her.
ABBA.
Synth-y music in the dark.
When snow melts in my eyelashes so every time I blink it makes little rivers.
Full notebooks.
Fall leaves.
Getting those satisfying bruises that ache so good in the weirdest way.
“Horses!”
Timing a song just right so it finishes as you arrive at your destination.
Imitating the sound of a microwave or alarm.
Painting my nails.
Ghost stories.
Looking forward to something so much that I get shaky and can barely talk.
Hot showers in dim lighting.
Saying something and making someone laugh, and then when they’re done they just go, “that was funny.”
Bees!
People talking about their interests.
Babies smiling at me from across the room, or just staring really intently.
Cooking eggs just right.
Texting my friends pretty sunrises when I walk to school in the morning.
Pronouncing words the way I want, like Wad-noose-dee.
Warm drinks in the cold.
Cold drinks in the heat.
Sliding the last puzzle piece in place.
People making little sounds while they wait, like popping or humming.
That feeling when you walk into a room and someone yells your name all excitedly.
Getting a really good idea and getting to write it down right away.
Seeing people get the recognition they deserve.
Having a fun conversation with a stranger.
Little kids pointing at dogs of any age and going “puppy!”
Inside jokes.
Finding a new song that is so great that you have no choice but to listen to it on repeat.
Learning mind-blowing facts about history or science.
Looking up at the sky and feeling so powerfully, painfully human.
Gently scooping bees out of the pool.
When you twist around and your back pops so nicely that you feel reborn.
Talking in baby voices to dogs.
Babies looking shocked when they learn things like eye contact.
Walking on cold sand in the dark.
Closing all the tabs on the computer when you finish a project.
Giving a well-aimed compliment and watching it brighten up someone’s day.
Rain on a road trip.
The ocean.
Doing the dishes.
When your turn signal matches with the car in front of you.
Freshly shaved legs under freshly washed sheets.
Peeling the tape off of a painting and seeing the perfect crisp border.
Doing something dumb and not feeling bad about it.
Roast beef sandwiches!
Everyone agreeing that sunsets never show up properly on camera.
The way deer run with all four feet at once.
Feeling the adrenaline wear off after doing something scary.
Finding something long-forgotten while cleaning.
Scribbling a dry pen until it becomes smooth and full of ink again.
The feeling when someone enjoys a song you choose.
Making a stranger laugh.
Stretching so hard your whole body locks up.
Fresh fruit.
Predicting when it’s going to rain.
Getting a good thunder or lighting on video.
Winning at UNO.
Being forgiven for something dumb.
Painting nail polish on in one strong swipe.
Learning that a movie you like is going to get an award.
When a hangnail finally goes away.
Getting colors to mix properly.
Getting to hear what incredibly niche interesting thing they’ve been into all week.
The first pump of a new bottle of shampoo or conditioner.
Heating something up in the microwave and getting the temperature and texture just right.
Feeling yourself drift off to sleep.
Seeing a news article or an ad for something you were just thinking about.
French fries with a molten potato center.
When you wake up and your headache is gone.
Singing a song and guessing the weird pause correctly.
The sympathetic groans when you bite your lip or cheek by mistake.
Cracking some joint and someone going “wow!”
Finding a song that you can sing in a normal vocal range.
The vindication of someone going “oh, I love that band!”
Hearing conversation from another room or another group.
Windows lighting up when it starts getting dark.
The way the clouds pour down the mountain like thick gravy when it’s storming out.
Acts of “rebellion”, like dessert before dinner or wearing pajamas to the grocery store.
Guessing the price of your groceries and hitting well within your budget without actually reading any prices.
Dancing like a complete idiot in the shower.
Aimlessly wandering the city or downtown.
Choosing the best and most ripe fruit.
Using something months after buying it and feeling like it really was a good purchase.
Trying new foods, (even when you don’t end up liking them).
When you comment something and they say “that’s what I thought!” or “you would think, but no!”
When you have the house to yourself, so you don’t turn on any lights and creep around for fun.
Strangers apologizing for their dogs running up to you.
Being able to truly, genuinely, forgive someone.
Clothes that are lots of different colors sewn together.
Stained glass windows.
Perfectly pulling open the pull tab on a package with no random ripping.
Seeing that old friends are doing well.
The feeling when rain soaks your hair and starts running from underneath it onto your temples and forehead.
People gushing about their pets and showing pictures.
Being trusted to be a confidant.
Spotting a shooting star!
Long, long phone calls, where you end up walking laps around the house and picking at seams.
Being able to fix something for someone, like a computer or program.
Eating food that’s way too hot and having to do a pain dance/song combo while everyone cringes in sympathy.
Music that isn’t all that good, but is plenty loud.
Rain making the roads shiny.
Seeing lines in the streetlights.
Going to bed on a cold, cold night and feeling the shape of your body warm up the bed around you.
Little kids on Halloween.
Being offered snacks.
Getting to be the one who offers snacks.
Running into a friend.
Catching the bus just in time.
When sunbeams pour through the blinds in the morning.
When dogs get excited and tap their feet in a little dance.
Walking on a freshly-mopped floor.
Remembering someone’s birthday.
The mischief of not letting friends pay you back.
Getting the seams of your shirt and jacket to line up.
Messing with a smooth zipper.
My most beloved high-top converse that never fail to win me compliments.
Dinosaurs!
Getting a text from Lucy when I’ve been thinking about her.
Getting texts from everyone in my family, actually.
When June awkwardly walks up behind me and tries to discreetly lick my leg.
Frost on the grass in the morning.
Big, bone-crushing hugs that hurt a little bit!
Sliding in my socks on a wood floor.
That thunk sound from a ripe watermelon or pumpkin.
Apple juice in my novelty halloween cup with the silly straw.
Idle conversations in the laundry room.
Neon signs in cool shapes.
Vintage typography.
Holding hands.
Watching someone shy get comfortable around you.
The color yellow.
Getting poems dislodged from my brain.
Meeting people’s pets.
Weird socks.
Disarming people with perfect politeness, especially to diffuse a situation.
Rolling your foot around on a ball or rock.
The mist that comes off of waterfalls.
Omelettes, especially if they have tomatoes in them.
Support from people I care about.
Going to bed at a terribly late hour because I was out with friends.
When soaking a pot actually works, and it’s easier to clean than it was before.
When someone dreams about you and tells you about it.
When my arms pop back into place in the morning.
Lucy’s eyes.
Getting to add to this list.
Feeling really soft blankets at the store.
Wearing a t-shirt that’s like three sizes too big.
Stealing dad’s hoodies.
Hugging someone way taller/shorter than you, so the hug is like completing a puzzle.
Watching my parents be in love.
Singin’ in the Rain.
Clumsily speaking another language.
Getting a message from someone you really love.
When the adrenaline from my inhaler wears off and I can feel my heart slow back down.
Stumbling over words until you go “bleh!” and start over.
That glorious sip of water after eating something really sweet or salty.
When someone runs with a crazy little joke you started, and now you get to bounce and banter off of each other.
Someone responding two seconds after you sent a text.
The wind howling musically in the winter.
Lighting a candle for the first time.
Making the perfect amount of pasta.
The malicious joy that comes from landing a bad pun.
Someone’s reaction to a pun, bad or brilliant.
Getting to see someone without their glasses.
“This made me think of you.”
Waking up to snow outside.
Loving someone so much that it hurts.
Enjoying a new show, especially with friends.
Colorful band-aids.
When your favorite outfit pieces are out of the laundry and back in rotation.
Chocolate milk!
Waking up in a wild cocoon of blankets.
Having weird dreams that you can remember.
Spotting something funny on the sidewalk.
The sun on your face in the wintertime.
A sneeze that clears your whole chest out.
Class getting cancelled when you’re stressed out.
Compliments from a professor.
Seeing things in colors you like.
Someone texting back right away.
Chocolate chip pancakes!
Acquiring a taste for something you dismissed in the past.
Dogpiling in my parent’s bed.
Having an internal thought that almost makes you laugh out loud.
Getting into a typing flow that is all speed, no typos.
When my hands smell like soap.
Finding a new interest.
When my team wins in hockey!
Cheddar bratwurst.
Getting to text with long-distance friends.
A stretch that makes my knees shake.
Following mom around in the store and talking the whole time.
A pleasant interaction with a stranger that makes the world feel friendlier.
Watching rain flow down the gutter, especially if there’s leaves in it.
Recognizing a bird.
Hearing the first crickets of summer.
Trying something kind of weird with a friend.
Reading old text messages that make you laugh.
Soft music on a summer evening.
Filling a sketchbook up all the way.
The shyness someone gets when you find out it’s their birthday.
Going to bed in a freshly-cleaned room.
Swinging arms while holding hands with someone.
Bright pink sunsets.
Watching the sun rise, (and the intolerable smugness that comes from getting up early.)
Avoiding all the creaky spots on the floor.
Surprising someone in the dark.
Remembering a nostalgic memory.
Doing tedious projects for fun.
When friends say my name.
Filling up with energy first thing on an early morning.
Replacing batteries in something.
Being offered free food.
The Provo river.
Finding new music.
Spinning in a chair.
Summer nighttime air.
Ducks.
Most birds, actually.
Dodging sprinklers on early morning sidewalks.
Spotting a weird car.
And more, so so many more! I add to this often, and one day I’ll be able to publish a list longer than the highway. But in the meantime, enjoy this snippet of why life is worth living.
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