What Makes You Come Alive?

Laughing uncontrollably with happy tears running down my face
Running after someone while being hit by a crippling laugh attack
Floating on my back, eyes closed, in a body of water
Feeling the sun soak on my face while walking on city sidewalks
A hot makeout session

I just wanted to say THANK YOU for turning me on to Fleabag and Andrew Scott. I didn’t know what I was missing, and now I can’t get enough!!

-Walking barefoot in dewy grass
-Eating food fresh from someone’s garden
-Reaching the peak of a mountain on a challenging hike
-Waking up in a new city
-Feeling the brisk morning air on a clear and chilly day
-Taking the first cold sip of a refreshing drink on a hot summer’s day
-Walking through a city at night in the rainfall
-Soaking up Golden Hour lighting
-Dancing to live music on a sidewalk or in a square
-Reaching the top of a new route while rock climbing
-Immersing myself in water, whether a lake or an ocean or a pool
-Sitting outside in a garden or patio in the sunshine, closing my eyes and feeling the sun warm me
-Laughing so hard I cry with a friend or loved one

This is making me want to make sure I soak up as many of these moments as I can this summer!

Sitting on the porch on summers night
Photograph
A country ride on a beautiful day
Watching a great movie

Having my family together
Family vacations
Exploring new lands
Making art
Seeing my plants sprouting new little plants
Seeing sunsets that are so bright and colorful I need to take a picture
Doing my annual cannonball into our pool unabashedly
Sitting at church marveling at nearby children while worshiping
Realizing a prayer has come to fruition
Fro-yo with my favorite toppings
Smelling citrus
Walking my pup on a crisp evening near Christmas and seeing the various decorations
Smelling homemade cookies baking

walks outside on summer evenings
a refreshing ice cream cone on a hot day!
sitting on the beach with the sun on my back and my toes in the sand
laughing at dinner with my family
cooking a delicious dinner to enjoy with my boyfriend
phone calls with my best friends
dancing to good music
bike-riding along the coast
pizza from my favorite place
having one of those amazing, ‘I’m killing it’ days at work
diving into a good book
watching movies on the couch with my family with my head on someone’s shoulder

happy thoughts… xo

The smell of salt air
Campfires
A book I can’t stop thinking about while reading it
My kids’ laughter
Ripe peaches
Cold lemonade on a hot day
Afternoon naps
The cool calm of art museums
Playing cards with my wife over drinks
Chunky baby thighs and cheeks
Stargazing
Iced coffee or hot tea (weather depending)
The feeling of exhaustion and accomplishment after a good workout or cleaning the house
Perfectly blue skies
Sentimental jewelry and home decor
Fireflies
Music that fits my mood
Petting downy soft dog ears
Having a kid fall asleep on me
Wearing a perfectly comfortable outfit
Comedy that makes me cackle
Perusing a perfectly curated local shop
Shoes that require no breaking in
Extra, super sharp cheddar cheese
The fine curls at the nape of my daughter’s neck
Turning over and cuddling up with my love in the middle of the night
When one of our foster kiddos refers to our house as home

OMG Andrew Scott! I saw the most amazing play with him in, can’t remember what it’s called but it was so powerful his acting is just incredible. Yes to Andrew Scott!!

reading my childhood diary with my four-year-old daughter, which we both love and enjoy. It feels magical, an encounter between my girl and my old childhood self, who as though came back from the past to tell my girl my stories. It’s like time travelling together with my girl too, to revisit those moments I don’t even remember at all in such detail. We giggled and laughed together.
Writing a journal too makes me alive again, giving myself chances to put into perspective and just hear my own voice. I am trying to do it now as a mother and I highly recommend keeping a journal even just for a period of time. It’s a treasure for self and I hope too, for my child one day. I want my girl to know me, the real me, even my struggles as a person and as a mother. and I wish us can revisit those moments of joy again one day.

Lizzo on NPR Fresh Air with Terry Gross!! https://www.npr.org/2019/05/23/725704911/lizzo-on-feminism-self-love-and-bringing-hallelujah-moments-to-stage

-The silky feel of my hair when I’m rinsing the conditioner out of it
-The first time wearing a new perfume
-Glancing in the mirror after a glass of wine and feeling beautiful with red-stained lips
-Getting 8 hours of sleep!
-Meeting eyes with a stranger on the street
-Drinking enough wine to let loose and dance
-A giant ice coffee with a splash of soy milk and vanilla
-When a man I have a crush on says my name
-Cooking unnecessarily elaborate meals for my parents every Sunday night. They always tell me I don’t need to, but it’s my way of thanking them for all they’ve done for me.

oooooh and kittens. Definitely kittens. <3

During the spring and summer months, our northwest facing bathroom is flooded with light during sunset. The tiny room transforms into a gold-soaked haze, and I often find myself lingering at the bathroom door, gazing in awe at the transformation, or even taking luxuriously long showers. Thanks for reminding me to pay attention to the fleeting present and the moments that make my heart feel like it’s going to burst with joy.

-watching my almost three year old boy get really “into” playing with cups of water on our apartment patio in the sunshine on a warm Portland afternoon
-watching the people I love love each other (example: my 3-year-old feeding my 41-year-old boyfriend some of his mac and cheese, but instead of holding the spoon with his hands he decided to hold it with his teeth and they both giggled like maniacs the whole time)
-the first sip of really cold water on a really hot day
-being in the woods where the only sounds are birds and wind
-my feet in the ocean

– The way that toddlers react to music. I am an early childhood music teacher and the way that toddlers light up and dance is just incredible. Also just their sweetness, innocence, and earnestness. Best job. I did a workshop with a pre-k class yesterday, and at the end of class a girl I’d never met before came up to me and said, “I love you!” The amount of love and affection that my job includes is magical.
– I saw this in another post, but yes! When a bad mood breaks. Sometimes anxiety for me is such a chemical thing with no rhyme or reason, and when it breaks I’m so incredibly grateful.
– Acts of self-care that take effort but the pay-off is so big. Meal prepping, a fridge full of healthy snacks, a good sweaty run, tidying up my room, taking the time to moisturize head-to-toe before bed.
– I’m back in school for the first time in ages (grad school!) and seeing grades posted has been really rewarding. I’m working hard in school in a way that I haven’t before, because I really know why I’m in school and what I want to get out of it.
– A good, deep, juicy talk with a female friend where you just get to the heart of it all.
– Having a fun party or date to look forward to.
– The difference that a little bit of red lipstick (thanks Jo for the NYX Monte Carlo rec!!) and mascara make on occasions where I want to feel extra pretty.

finding a new show (Longmire. Swoon!)
red chocolate licorice
pinky sunsets
my students’ neat handwriting
fresh pjs
cool mornings

The priest in Fleabag! Yes! So much!!

sitting on my front porch during a thunderstorm
when my 3 year old reaches to hold my hand with her soft tiny hand
that first sip of coffee or matcha
sunrise at the beach
bakery smells
cooking with local and fresh produce when its in season
making my husband laugh (he’s funnier than me)
potluck meals with friends
kindness from strangers
standing under enormous trees
that moment of sitting down right after you’ve cleaned your home
watching my parents play with my daughter

Figure drawing class. A group of people do a timed sketch of every line, crease, bulge, scar, and curve of an ordinary nude person. When the timer goes off, you take a step back to appreciate the vulnerable human form you transferred to a piece of paper. For me, it’s the seeing of beauty in the otherwise ordinary that makes me feel alive.

jumping in the lake
a stolen kiss
waterskiing
cold soil; hot day
cooking by feel
impressing myself w/silly feats (making a tight connecting flight; flipping an egg w/o breaking the yoke)
beating my Dad at Trivial Pursuit (one time & counting!)
dancing
typing fast without having to look at the screen or keys
omg on that note: 10 key!
a beer in the shower on a hot summer night
oldies on, windows down, long country road

running on the trails in the mountain town i call home with my dog
netting a fish that put up a fight
staring into a starry night sky
a hot cup of coffee on a cool summer morning
taking the first few turns down our town ski hill in the early morning
waking up somewhere new next to the one i love

the feeling of water all around me
summertime in boston
driving in warm weather with the windows down and music up
cafes
movies/tv shows/books with a really strong sense of place/atmosphere
lush greenery, canopies, ivy, outdoor spaces that feel like a hidden retreat
interspecies animal friendships
the feeling of nostalgia i get with music and smells associated with the past
nighttime cuddles with my dog, who is always at peak sweetness/love/vulnerability near bedtime
the feeling of being utterly engrossed in a book
a good nap

-Coasting super fast on my bike
-going out in the rain, or cold, cold winter weather. The kind that makes my cheeks rosy.
-working out and stretching out my muscles
-the first few sips (or gulps!) of hot coffee in the morning
-the overwhelming love I get thinking about or being with my kids and husband
-sadly, pain and heartbreak also make me feel alive, and grateful that I am.
-staying up way too late with a page turner
-drinking really cold water