Archives for October 2013

Today I read a book by Molly Cantrell-Kraig called “I want to die: 100 reasons you shouldn’t.” (not an affiliate link). Molly’s idea is that sometimes a person who is in despair just needs to be reminded that life is worth living, and she gives 100 reasons why life is worth holding on to. Molly’ will be giving portions of her proceeds to suicide prevention programs.

Molly’s post got me to thinking. What are 100 reasons I want to live? I think it’s a good exercise, so here is what I came up with, in no particular order.

1. The ocean – the sound, the mystery, the different waves, the different shades of blue and grey

2. Sunlight that is warm on your back but not too hot

3. Reading. I still have not come remotely close to reading every book about Abraham Lincoln, not to mention every other historical figure I adore!

4. Fresh out of the oven cookies

5. The joy of plotting surprises for people

6. Eddie Izzard (he is so smart and so funny – how could I miss out on him?)

7. The lure of travel. I haven’t even been to Europe yet, and the places I have been have been spectacular.

8. Fresh fruit and vegetables (I have become addicted this year)

9. Gardening – waiting for little seeds to turn into big beautiful flowers or whatever they might be

10. My family – my parents, my brother, my cousins, my aunts and uncles – I am so very lucky

11. Dancing. I might look terrible doing it but boy is it fun.

12. Yoga

13. Tai Chi (and I still haven’t learned the 32 steps of the form I’m working on. Got to finish that!)

14. Knitting – I have so much to do and I need to get so much better!

15. My grandpa’s recipe for iced tea – the taste of summer

16. The first blooming forsythia in spring

17. The first snowfall (that loses its charm rather quickly)

18. Thanksgiving

19. Curling up in bed while it storms outside

20. Raking leaves. I know. I’m terribly weird.

21. That first moment you realize, “Hey, it’s still light outside. Neat!”

22. The sound of laughter

23. Monty Python – who could ever want to leave a world in which Monty Python exists?

24. Coffee – oh, coffee..I could never quit you

25. Massages

26. Those cool breeze days where walking outside feels like you are walking through silky sheets

27. Seeing relatives after a long time apart (especially at holidays. I’m a mush)

28. Meeting an online friend in real life for the first time (so far I’ve had good luck!)

29. Sushi

30. A hot shower on a cold day

31. The smell of flowers, each different, each unique

32. Noticing little things, like the veins on a leaf

33. Learning new things (that never runs out, btw)

34. Museums

35. Kitties

36. Fighting with Jason Konopinski and Ken Jacobs about how to eat a bagel with lox

37. Depressing myself by watching my Cleveland sports teams (it’s still fun in a weird way)

38. Flying on a plane (it still amazes me)

39. Mozart. Even Mozart’s Requiem makes me want to live

40. Van Gogh’s art. Some day I will go to Amsterdam and see his museum 🙂

41. Newborn snuggly babies

42. Soft furry animals of any kind pretty much – how can you be sad when you’re holding a puppy?

43. Coming up with a new business idea every day with Erin Feldman (and feeling determined we will make at least half of them happen)

44. Learning to cook a new recipe (even though it’s terrifying)

45. Finding the perfect pair of shoes

46. Hearing that you cheered someone up or made a positive difference for them

47. Writing

48. Live music events, especially if you like the music

49. Deciding to sleep a little longer on a Saturday

50. Inside jokes

51. Witty exchanges of sarcastic blather (I excel at that I think)

52. Seeing someone you care about succeed (in whatever way may come to them)

53. Trying something new

54. Conquering a fear or a problem

55. A phonecall with a friend

56. Birthdays

57. My peeps – Michelle, Paget, Karima, Erin, Olivier, Geoff – the family I’ve adopted 🙂

58. Getting something in the mail that’s not a bill or a sales promo

59. Wonderful television shows like Downton Abbey and Breaking Bad (sniff)

60. Discovering people online whom you went to school with 30 years ago (this really happens)

61. Being on the receiving end of random acts of kindness, like the lovely note I got from Ms. Mila Araujo just today

62. Playful banter that tends to occur on my Facebook wall (sometimes it even gets too weird for me)

63. Trading cloche hats digitally with Ms. Kaarina Dillabough

64. The sound of tree frogs in the fall, which I can hear singing right now

65. Summer thunderstorms

66. Tea, hot

67. Family traditions

68. New haircuts

69. Getting to network with incredibly amazing and inspirational people like the aforementioned Molly, Angela Daffron, Mark Horvath, Sam Parrotto, and many others

70. Getting to tweet an author and say, “Hey, I liked your book. Thanks for writing it.” That will never get old.

71. PJs

72. My favorite parks

73. Hiking your troubles away

74. Yarn festivals, complete with alpacas and angora rabbits

75. Hot dogs. There is just something about them.

76. Feeling motivated by others – I get a kick out of people who kick my butt

77. I still plan on running a marathon for my 40th birthday – gotta be alive to do that unless I want to be a zombie on a zombie run (which I don’t)

78. Charity work – It makes everything seem better

79. Getting recognition for something you thought no one noticed

80. Happy secrets

81. Candles – especially ones that aren’t too cologne-like

82. Boston. Let’s just say it. Boston.

83. Girls’ nights out

84. Going to movies (even on your own)

85. That feeling when the laundry is done (though I hate doing laundry)

86. Comfort movies (one of mine is Secret of Nimh, I’m not ashamed to admit)

87. Celebrity crushes. I have a few.

88. Documentaries that change your perspective

89. Hawaii. Um, yeah.

90. The redwood forests of California. This will change your perspective on everything.

91. Children – they are pure human concentrate and often too wonderful to describe

92. Waiting for your favorite moment in that movie you’ve seen 10 million times

93. Canoeing (I need to do more of this)

94. Getting a hug right when you most need it

95. Pleasant surprises (they always keep you guessing. You can’t give up because you never know what’s around the corner)

96. Watching Karima lust after shoes (really – it’s admirable!)

97. Watching people in real life perform Tai Chi and other martial arts

98. Singing in a choir

99. Singing in general

100. Poetry

So there are 100 things that keep me going. Now it’s your turn 🙂