Things That Make Life Worth Living

I am forever indebted to my friend Meg for many things (e.g. the exposure to an eclectic array of awesome music and movies; an ever-present listening ear; and many, many good meals with even better conversation).

Something I often forget about is her "Things That Make Life Worth Living" list that I learned about soon after meeting her.

She had compiled a list of things that upon reading, made her smile and appreciate the day.

When I was 19, I started my own book.

I go through fits and spurts of keeping up with it; every time I unearth it (every year or so), I have at least 30 things to add to the list.

Last night, for some reason, I thought to go into one of my storage bins and I found it.

Without further ado, a (rather extensive) sampling (starting in 2002 and ending now):

• Warm towels to receive you from your warm shower
• Biting into a perfectly crisp and juicy apple
• Toasted bagel sandwichs
• Reading Jane Eyre for the first time the summer after 8th grade
• Crisp, autumn afternoons
• Cool, breezy summer evenings
• Dark, rainy spring mornings
• Hushed, snow-covered winter twilights
• Finding a flower on your windshield
• PAY DAYS (Note: I used to cash my paycheck on payday. Nothing so satisfying as all those bills...)
• Eating ice cream straight from the carton while sitting on the front porch
• The warm, hazy time and space between awake and asleep
• Getting mail
• THANKSGIVING DINNER (and leftovers)
• The salty smell of ocean spray
• The smell of coffee (Note: wrote this one long before I drank coffee!)
• Concretes from Ted Drewes
• Listening to a compilation made especially for you
• The Friday Night Ritual with Meg, Jason, and Chris
• Basking in the sun by Lake Michigan
• Hugs
• Freshly baked bread
• Inside jokes
• Julia cutting my hair for free (Note: and what a damn good job she did!)
• The warmth in your muscles after a good run
• PAINTBALLING
• Writing letters to far-off friends and nearby neighbors
• Finding the "too-expensive pants" on sale
• Hot baths after snowball fights at midnight
• Seeing your little brother smack the baseball deep into left field
• Watching little kids amuse themselves with nothing but the dust at their feet
• The husky tone of a guy who's beginning to get sleepy
• Fresh flowers
• Getting off work early
• Hot, soft pretzels at sporting events (with the fake cheese!)
• Hearing the Moonlight Sonata played
• Surprises
• Capturing an image in a perfect picture
• Walking with Chris on a foggy night and sitting on the pier, scheming about "the mist"
• Babies who fall asleep while you're cradling them in your arms
• Falling asleep in Dad's oversized leather chair
• Cooking dinner in your own kitchen
• Falling asleep to the sounds of Chicago
• Tapping the carrebeaner at the top of a 50' boulder after several sweat-inducing attempts
• Meeting someone new, talking for hours on end, knowing that you'll never be the same
• Waking up in time to see the sunrise and falling back asleep for another hour
• Having your heart beat faster when listening to a great song for the first time
• Kissing someone for the first time
• Burying yourself in a comforter when the windows are open and it's snowing
• "Seeing the world through rose-colored glasses"; the pink light of late winter sunsets
• Being pinned and tickled and laughing until your sides ache
• Cuddling with a close friend who rests his head on the bridge of your nose
• Brian, when asked about the lamps in his office, talking about his soul being poisoned by fluorescent lights
• Having your hair played with
• Playing with someone's hair
• The night sky in the mountains
• SKIING - down a slope, without falling
• Bullshitting with "the gang" at Steak 'n' Shake until 2 o'clock in the morning
• Sitting on the front porch with Dad, talking late into the night while it pours down rain
• The smell of pipe tobacco
• Seeing the moon rise blood red over Lake Michigan
• Raking leaves in Litchfield the day after Thanksgiving
• Clove cigarettes with Cabernet Sauvignon
• All inside jokes spawned in Apt. 901
• Late brunches complete with coffee AND orange juice
• Running up the stairs of a lookout to survey the woods of Southern Illinois
• Locking eyes with a possible soulmate
• Being picked up at a train station, an airport terminal by someone you love
• Holding hands with Meg while bookshopping on a chilly but sunny Friday afternoon
• Seeing Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind for the first time
• Hiking alone in Giant City State Park, rediscovering yourself and following your heart
• Bryan's Chicken Marsala
• Finding the coi pond on Leland Avenue in Chicago
• The Blueberry Flapper at Harbaugh's
• Watching a sea turtle eat coral and turning to see an eagle ray fly by all while SCUBA diving in Cozumel
• Watching James talk to my cat and walk him around the yard like he was his child
• The buzz of Carbondale's farmer's market on a sunny Saturday morning
• Sharing silences with someone you love
• Maw Maw holding my cheeks
• Da calling me a beautiful lady
• Learning that your heart is smarter than your head
• Running the STL half marathon with Mom and Emily
• Seeing the sun rise over the Atlantic Ocean at Topsail Island on a chilly winter morning
• French-pressed coffee
• Long slow distance runs on Sunday mornings, no matter the weather
• Miss Virginia's carrot cake (O.M.G.)
• The way southern men call women "girl," as in "What's happenin', girl??"
• Climbing Buffalo Mountain in Silverthorne, CO
• Dinners or wine tastings at Chef and the Farmer
• Running the paths around Lakes Harriet and Calhoun in Minneapolis
• Mother Earth Tap Room
• The delicious weight of an eye pillow during Svasana at the end of a yoga session
• Toasted subs from Botino's 
• PRing a half-marathon three years later in Richmond
• Whitey's grape popsicle after running the Bix 7 on a sweltering day
• Running in Umstead Park in Raleigh
• Seeing an Indigo Bunting while running in Queeny Park

If I am in a foul mood, reading through this list reminds me of all of the wonderful tidbits that my daily life has to offer, if I only choose to remember:

Nothing is worth more than this day.