I originally wrote this list in July. The idea was simple: I was really happy. I could kinda-sorta-maybe identify why I was happy. I decided to list 100 things that I was doing in life that kept me smiling. No, I’m not really into empty self-improvement rhetoric, but I do like it when lifestyle trial and error works out…and I really like it when I can sum that up in a list. 1, 2, 3. ‘Sup, early 20s?
My Semi-Informed Guide:
1) Drink chocolate milk.
2) Google useless things.
3) Grow plants.
4) Make sure your main pair of shoes is comfortable.
5) Happily respond to all correspondence (letters, texts, emails, calls).
6) Don’t expect others to always respond to you.
7) Say thank you – and mean it.
8) Use lots of pillows.
9) Play new songs on repeat until you’re sick of them.
10) Do things that scare you (BOO!).
11) If you need to cry, CRY.
12) Play air guitar.
13) Go to church.
14) Spend time with children.
15) Cheer loudly.
16) Do the dishes right away.
17) Share meals.
18) Always have an extra beer in the fridge.
19) Let hugs last at LEAST 3 seconds.
20) Write songs.
21) Appreciate travel time (ie. car/train/plane rides).
22) Watch things that make you laugh.
23) Call home.
24) Send Christmas cards.
25) Celebrate people.
26) Don’t fear messes.
27) Find doctors who listen to you, and listen to them.
28) Tell the truth.
29) If someone asks you to grab a drink, say yes.
30) Keep your legs smooth.
31) Talk to God often, and candidly.
32) Find people you can be inappropriate with.
33) Do things by candlelight.
34) Be shameless about puns.
35) Buy/eat local and seasonal.
36) Watch the game.
37) Dress for the weather.
38) Ask people how they’re doing – and care about the answer.
39) Take long walks.
40) Use fresh herbs.
41) Make a playlist of happy songs.
42) Laugh at yourself.
43) Keep a calendar, and keep it flexible.
44) Donate blood.
45) Don’t cut good conversations short.
46) Pay attention to the lyrics.
47) Answer the phone.
48) Know which old letters to keep, and which ones to throw away–be able to remember, and be able to let go.
49) Play games.
50) Use hand sanitizer.
51) Appreciate your parents.
52) Avoid making concrete decisions about the future – you have to consult your future partner/job/self/life first.
53) Watch the montages before Sunday Football.
54) Watch blooper reels.
55) Find a way to record memories.
56) Stand for the national anthem.
57) Sing every day.
58) Take that extra shift.
59) Talk to elderly people. Laugh with them. Listen to them.
60) Welcome questions, curiosities, and contradicting ideas.
61) Don’t underestimate “shallow” conversations.
62) ALWAYS offer to help someone move or renovate.
63) Embrace technology.
64) Compliment often and publicly, criticize constructively and privately.
65) Be receptive.
66) Play catch.
67) Find reasons to bite your bottom lip.
68) Listen to the radio.
69) Ask taxi drivers about their stories.
70) Care about your job.
71) Exfoliate.
72) Find a pen you really like and use it.
73) Make corrections in pencil. You could be wrong, too.
74) Trust your gut.
75) Know how to hold your liquor.
76) If a friend is experiencing a loss, be there. (Don’t try to fix them. Don’t be a hero, Just be there.)
77) Be a role model.
78) Take cold showers.
79) Watch TED talks.
80) Give lots of high fives.
81) Smile at people on the street.
82) Make eye contact.
83) Maintain a good gender ratio in social situations.
84) Give your seat to elderly, disabled, or pregnant people.
85) Have ambition.
86) Own a tool kit.
87) Dance at your desk.
88) Make secret wishes at 11:11.
89) Hold hands.
90) Hang out in the rain.
91) Give credit where credit is due.
92) Learn names.
93) Use seatbelts and a helmets.
94) Be compassionate.
95) Keep the energy in your home positive.
96) Decorate for holidays.
97) Go out and support artist friends.
98) Don’t let birthdays and Valentine’s day matter too much – just appreciate each other daily.
99) Be nice to service people.
100) Assume everyone has good intentions.
101) Bond with your famjam by recreating Epic Meal Time.
Why did I decide to revisit this list now?
First of all, because I’m craving chocolate milk.
Second of all, because I’ve been thinking a lot about what “growing up” means. My latest definition of “growing up” has been the process of realizing 1) how very alone and 2) how very not alone we are. Growing up means always playing with loneliness and interconnectedness, because life is a whole lotta both of them.
So, I decided to revisit this list. Because, while blindly navigating that alone/not alone process, you sometimes pick up survival skills.
These are mine.
I’m not perfect at seeing them through (see also: number 16), but I have noticed that when I do see them through, things feel better. Essentially, these 100 points can be summed up in three rules: Have fun. Be kind to others. Be kind to yourself. My version of that means a healthy dose of pillows and hugs and values and pub nights and prayers. Your version could mean pretty much anything, I suppose, as long as you can be happy while following the 11th commandment: don’t be an asshole.
Also, my roommate complained to me that this list is too fem-centric, so I invite you to contribute some “bro”-centric points to even the score. Or just some you-centric points. This is just how I choose to roll, but I would love to hear how other people keep the positive energy high.
P.S. I am so serious about the blooper reels.
Shaunanagins 