At one point around the beginning of last summer (wow, that statement just brought back an unexpected flood of memories and emotions), I wrote a note titled much the same as this post, with the same context. I brought up the quote, "There are so many things that people are willing to die for, show me one thing they're willing to live for." So I decided to do just that...only with a hundred things. And now I've received a request to update that list, because I guess it has changed. That's what this post is going to be. Just an advance warning: many of these may be the same as the ones on my old list, certain ones will be distinctly different; the order is not particularly significant, and may or may not resemble an order of significance to me or the thought process that led to them.
1. Walking in the pouring rain
2. Hour-long, boiling hot showers
3. The hugs that you know people really, really mean
4. Burning lungs and dripping sweat after an amazing run on a hot day
5. Driving at ridiculous speeds on long, empty roads
6. The one time that shuffle gives you the perfect song
7. Breaking the rules and not getting caught
8. When you're so happy that you just can't stop smiling
9. The wind in your hair
10. Feeling a cold blade pressed into your neck
11. The crimson of blood
12. People's gorgeous eyes
13. Losing track of time
14. When you don't need words in order to make perfect sense
15. Waking up to smell the spring air
16. Camping
17. The moments when nothing else matters
18. The rain of cherry blossom petals in the spring
19. Massages
20. Kissing in the pouring rain
21. Songs that really move you
22. When something just works
23. The way a dog greets you after you've been away
24. A large cone of vanilla soft-serve in summer
25. Powerful stories
26. Intoxicating emotions
27. Crying to make sense of everything
28. Long, quiet, solitary walks
29. Freshly made sushi
30. A carpet of soft grass under your feet
31. Pleasant surprises
32. Being trusted
33. Holding people in your arms when they need you
34. Hot coffee on a cold morning
35. Knowing that everything is going to work out
36. Watching snow falling through the window of a warm room
37. Dark chocolate
38. The one time a photograph turns out just right
39. Thick, blanketing fog that lets everything fade away
40. Not regretting
41. Old friends with whom nothing changes after years
42. Believing in the impossible, especially when it works
43. Books that make you feel
44. Just letting things happen
45. A day spent hard at work
46. The feeling right before you fall asleep
47. Exploring foreign places
48. Realizing that life goes on
49. Handwritten letters and cards
50. Watching the world turn
51. Exchanged glances and secret smiles
52. Serendipitous moments
53. Warm blankets
54. Sunlight illuminating the dew on a warm morning
55. Hope
56. A canvas of stars with no light-pollution
57. Feeling everything wash away with the rain
58. The smell of rain-storms
59. Lightning
60. Huge waves in the ocean
61. Accepting the truth
62. Just sitting back and relaxing
63. The feeling of sun on your skin
64. Friends
65. The exhaustion of success and productivity
66. Changing a person's life
67. Passion
68. The rush of excitement
69. Childhood memories
70. The tick of analog clocks
71. Dancing in the moonlight
72. Everything fitting in your pockets in the perfect order
73. Sincere appreciation
74. Quirky people
75. Late nights with people you love
76. Heartfelt sentiments
77. Getting away from everything you know for a day
78. Watching everything bloom in the spring
79. Clouds drifting over the sky
80. Sunrises and sunsets
81. Crickets chirping
82. Leaves falling
83. Pens that write smoothly
84. The silence of an old library
85. Places that feel like the middle of nowhere
86. Being high on life
87. Moments of sheer ecstasy
88. The way that some things never really change
89. Everyday miracles
90. Spontaneous decisions
91. Beautiful secrets
92. Fresh garlic
93. Walking until nothing matters anymore
94. Finally getting a long-awaited email
95. Finding money in the street
96. Deep breaths
97. Wondering in suspense
98. Laughing so hard that you forget why you even started
99. The sensitivity of human nerves
100. Details that nobody else notices
Well...that list took me almost the entire day to put together. In some ways it's hard, and in others it's easy to think of 100 things like that. Either way, it's usually the small things that keep us going in life. The minutia of it all is essentially how I get through my life...making the most of every little thing until hopefully it all becomes worth it. And maybe in the end it's not, but I don't really care, because I just listed 100 reasons that make each moment worthwhile, even if the sum total of a lifetime is not. That, if anything, is what really matters in life.
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