List 30 things that make you happy.
Maybe 30 Is Too Much
I can enjoy a few small things that make me forget the insanity of the world and my current place in it – most are free and others have a monetary price – as these ground me most days. These take my mind off of whatever distresses me and I’m able to temporarily return to a baseline of calm and ease.
This isn’t a comprehensive list, though it is long, but it’s not everything that brings me joy. You know when you have a lot of interests and you have to narrow things down to fit on an index card? Yeah, I had to do that here. What usually brings me joy, the order is of no importance, is:
- A walk around the neighborhood
- A hot bath after a long day of working
- A good book to read
- A good pen to write with and a good journal to write in
- Good music to listen to
- A good movie to watch
- Making time to sketch
- Playing a good game (video, card, reading, or D&D)
- Letting a YouTube “Let’s Play” playlist play in the background
- Cooking a nice meal for myself and for family
- Solving a problem that’s stumped me
- Learning something new and interesting: be it a fact, skill, or a secret
- Talking stories and listening to someone talk
- Existing alone in silence
- Visiting a bookstore and libraries
- Going someplace where no one knows you
- Collecting foreign currency
- Being alive as a means for revenge
In these rare moments I focus on doing something or nothing is when I’m most free.
I’m not struggling to meet some arbitrary standard, not trying to impress someone who decides whether or not I’m worthy of something they have power over, not trying to do something that could benefit someone else through my work and efforts.
A brief reprieve, a moment to simply exist.
A moment to let the voices outside of me, and inside my head, to fall away, and I’m left in silence before the noise takes over again. Thank you for reading this one, I’ll see you when the archives opens again.
The Courage to Live: How Living is The Best Revenge Against a Broken System:
