Family. Ripe avocados. The smell of a fire pit/place. Gerbera daisies. Quiet streets. The first coffee of the day. A new pack of gum. A found lip balm. In-season watermelon. A good pair of hoops. An old book. A new book. A first kiss. A familiar kiss. Sunshine. Thunderstorms. Warm cookies. Fresh fallen snow. Snap peas. Apple picking. Unexpected laughter. A great run. Windows down in the car on a spring day. Fall. A strong cup of tea. Chocolate covered raisins. A hand-written letter. A homemade quilt. An old pillow. Hotel rooms. Swimming pools. Lakes. Hiking trails. Well-made boots. The scent of leather. An eye crinkle. Lemonade on a hot summer day. Late night discussions with the right person. Much needed tears. Cold sheets. Mountains. The beach. The city. Parks. Curious kids. Storied elderly. A chilled glass of white wine. Rich red wine on a winter night. Birkenstocks. Juicy oranges. Peanut butter. Bare feet. Best friends. New friends. Old friends. Lost friends. Found friends. Sisters by birth. Sisters by chance. Long walks. People who teach us. Bracelet stacks. Different languages. FaceTime. Chicken tikka masala. Soft t-shirts. A well-earned sweat. A hard-earned raise. Ice pops. A meaningful song. A silly dance. A television show worthy binging. A movie based on a true story. A close game. A cozy cardigan. A girlie dress. Sparkles. Vast blue skies with white fluffy clouds. Sunsets that may only be described as sky blue pink with purple trimming. The summit. The start. Gummy bears. A tawdry gossip magazine. A well-conducted interview. Praise. Constructive criticism. Savasana. Leopard. Justifiable anger. Sunday. Snacks. Black and white milkshakes. Push-ups. A well-taught spin class. A good hair day. Candlelight. Tie-dye. Concerts. Live sporting events. Football season. A burger and fries. Fresh air. International travel. State parks. Tacos. Pajamas. 100% cotton anything. Being an aunt. Redecorating. Reinventing. Reinvigorating. Restarting. Renewing. Streaming services. Accents. A spicy margarita. A good scotch. Sink water in the middle of the night. Friendly dogs. Vintage. Well-worn jeans. Flouncy skirts. Hugs. Sarcasm. Shiny pennies. Invitations. True love. Airplane travel. New car smell. Perfume. Expensive face creams. An untouched piece of drawing paper. Newly opened colored pencils. Sharpie markers. Nesting dolls. Rocks. Shells. Photographs. Trinket trays. Ticket stubs. Lingerie. Laundry right out of the dryer. Scarves you can loop twice. Mittens. Boutiques. Local coffee joints. Confidence. Insecurity. Modern dance. Truth. Poetry. Big words. Simple language. Science. Astronomy. Asking questions. Finding answers. Courage. Faith. Differences. Innocence. Ankle bracelets. Mary janes. Planners. Calendars. No plans. Slippers. Giant totes. Grape tomatoes. Cereal without milk. Sprinkles. Pottery. Kitsch. Off the beaten path. Easy to find. Breakfast. Brunch. Bikinis. Heartfelt apologies. Unapologetic boldness. Dalliances. Commitment. Stars. Fresh-cut grass. Newly lain pavement. Long emails. To-the-point correspondence. Messy buns. Pancakes. Promises. White tank tops. Patterns. Habits. New ways of doing things. Speeches. Monologues. Silence. Dried cantaloupe. Friendly neighbors. Baths. Lavender. Wind chimes. Sushi. Small restaurants. Theater. Good causes. Better causes. Great causes. Being a good human. Intelligence. Humor. True justice. Kindness. Unconditional equality. Activism. Compassion.
You know what you just read? 500 words that describe things I love. Things I think about. Things I value. Things I strive for. Things that make me happy. You know how long it took me to “think” of these things? A few minutes. I expended almost no effort in putting together this smorgasbord of deliciousness. You know what that means then? If we put the smallest amount of energy into taking stock, we can find the silver lining in the toughest of situations.
Yes, that’s correct. I AM talking about gratitude again. Sorry not sorry.
You know what I think when I glance at that list? Abundance. Availability. Good fortune. All of it. Some of the bits that make me happy aren’t quite available right now, but eventually they will be. And even if I’m missing like 30 of those things right now, I have the rest of ‘em. I mean, come on now. That’s pretty fucking fantastic.
We can do a little refresher here. You can bitch and moan because of things you have going on. You are entitled to have a bad moment, bad day, bad month, and bad year. You are. Hate today or this week or fuck it, hate 2020. But before you resign yourself to such loathing, see if there is anything else you have when you sweep the rest away. I don’t have contact with friends in the same way I would want or I think I need. But I have contact. Magical events spent outside, reconnecting and reconfiguring. Figuring it out. Walking through the muck to something different. Maybe not better, but good enough. Sometimes better.
My list gives me faith in humanity. I think about the people who share the same loves, the same values, the same connections. I think of the vibrancy in a world nurtured by people who now notice. Now see. Now pay attention. Now plug in. Now care for. Now care about. Some are, anyway.
I’m going to say something challenging, something difficult to process. There is something entirely self-absorbed and troublesome about refusing to take stock or refusing to do the work necessary to get you there. And no, it is not enough to say ‘oh, I like this one thing.’ It is more than that. When we just accept things at the bottom and refuse hope or progress, we remain stunted. We remain fixated. We remain stagnant.
You know what festers when we decide that we absolutely cannot grow or change? Unhappiness. Hatred. Discrimination.
Truly. I’m not just being trendy or on topic here. I am speaking from my heart. People can change. Things can change. People can grow. People can change their minds. People can be more than their ideology. People’s ideology can be shifted, changed, and influenced….with work. Lots of hard work. The work I talk about all the damn time. Are you tired of hearing about it yet? Well, then do something about it. At some point, you have no right to complain if you refuse to be an agent of change.
Don’t forget that you can be the agent of teensy tiny change or huge monster change. They are both important. They are all important.
Make a list of what makes you happy. Count your blessings, small or large as they may be. BE THE FUCKING CHANGE YOU WISH TO SEE IN THE WORLD.
Talk to you tomorrow.
L.
thepathtoworthy.com 