• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Margie ClaymanMargie Clayman

Marietta, OH

  • About Me
  • Marketing
  • Librarianship
  • Random Musings
  • Contact Me

My 100 reasons to live

October 14, 2013 by Margie Clayman 13 Comments

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 🙂

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. douglaserice says

    October 15, 2013 at 10:01 am

    Cool! Two of the most inspiring ladies I know. I’m cooking something up for the project. What fun!

    Reply
  2. Fierce_Chat says

    October 15, 2013 at 5:42 pm

    Hi Margie…long time. This is awesome. I think everyone should create a list like this. Because here’s the thing that I’ve learned about suicide. There was a time when I no longer wanted to live but thank God there was at least 2 reasons that it went no further than ideation. One I was chicken and two there was still something that I wanted to live for. 
     
    The most difficult and disabling thing about depression is that it steals the joy of doing the things that you love. Can you imagine not having the desire for any one of those 100 items that you listed? That is what is so frickin insidious about dealing with depression. 
     
    So everyone should create a list when they are feeling healthy so that, if for some unknown reason one finds themselves  in a state of depression they can go to the list and maybe think of just 1 reason to keep going. It just takes 1 reason. 
     
    I strongly believe that most suicides come about from people who are depressed or mentally impacted in some way. Probably the best suicide prevention available is to prevent/ treat depression. 
     
    I believe part of my “Why” is to help people who find themselves in a depressed or suicidal state and get them help. I haven’t sorted out exactly how I will manifest that b/c I want to try a different approach. 
     
    As always you are #Awesomesauce Margie and I love it when you post your moments of Tiyoweh. You are wise way beyond your years 🙂

    Reply
  3. mckra1g says

    October 17, 2013 at 1:28 pm

    Margie, I can’t thank you enough for expanding upon the motivations behind my book. While I would never intend to minimize clinical depression, the intent was to provide some way of helping people identify the intangible reasons for sticking around. (Fierce_Chat, you make some AWESOME POINTS). Thank you for the gift of your friendship. Best, M.

    Reply
  4. KDillabough says

    October 18, 2013 at 11:10 am

    LOVE this post, and you and Molly have inspired me to create my 100 list! And you can be assured that I will continue to cloche you my friend. Cheers! Kaarina

    Reply
  5. margieclayman says

    November 9, 2013 at 9:15 am

    @Fierce_Chat Hi Jim – sorry for my very very tardy reply. It is so nice to hear from you and I am so glad to hear you are doing well. I remember when things were tough for you, but I never doubted you would pull through, and here you are 🙂 I’m glad for it!

    Reply
  6. Diseño Paginas Web says

    December 10, 2013 at 5:10 pm

    Great article! Now It’s my turn to remember the 100 things that keep me going. Kisses!

    Reply
  7. ayakkabı says

    December 24, 2013 at 7:28 am

    istanbul masaj salonları..! http://masajsalonuistanbul.info/

    Reply
  8. ayakkabı says

    January 26, 2014 at 4:02 pm

    işte size ayakkabı almanın yolu.! <a href=”http://stilkutusu.com”>ayakkabı</a> burada.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. #100ReasonstoLive ##100reasonstolive | A Listly List says:
    October 14, 2013 at 9:49 pm

    […] Margie Clayman's 100 Reasons to Live […]

    Reply
  2. #100ReasonsToLive says:
    March 12, 2014 at 1:14 pm

    […] my talented friend Marjorie Claymon recently wrote a blog post called “My 100 Reasons to Live” and asked other to share their won 100 reasons.  I procrastinated a bit, got busy, forgot […]

    Reply
  3. look over simple Hiring a carpet more clean types and simply tricks below says:
    May 17, 2014 at 1:40 pm

    nike air max 90 release dates…

    look over simple Hiring a carpet more cl polo ralph lauren pas cher ean types and simply tricks below a polo ralph lauren femme soldes carpet will always on your side. People are invariably walking online rugs and carpets in addition,yet probably falli…

    Reply
  4. reassuring ideas helpful equipment of assisting in you outshine a cancerous tumor says:
    May 17, 2014 at 1:56 pm

    lacoste shoes on sale…

    reassuring ideas helpful equipme nike air max outlet nt of assisting in you outshine a cancerous tumor malignancies is a extreme a nike air max 1 nd consequently perilous disease that visitors huge numbers of people from year to year. it’s essential f…

    Reply
  5. coach コーチ 超ハンドバッグ says:
    October 13, 2014 at 11:25 am

    coach コーチ 超ハンドバッグ…

    My 100 reasons to live…

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Previous Post: « Book Review: Exodus, by @geoffliving
Next Post: #100reasonstolive »

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • Seeing Double: African American Literature
  • Book Review: Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
  • Book Review: Land of Lincoln, by Andrew Ferguson
  • The portrayal of the infertile woman in entertainment
  • Chapter 3: A Weird Thing Happened Today

Recent Comments

  • Delores Baskerville on Are you locking out blog subscribers?
  • frank c tripoli on Book Review: Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
  • Lyv on #30Thursday number 10 (we’re in the double digits?!?)
  • Fitoru on New Recipes, 2013
  • Anna Wyatt on Help me petition to deactivate driver-side airbags for Little People

Archives

  • February 2021
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • April 2017
  • October 2016
  • July 2016
  • April 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • December 2014
  • October 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • February 2014
  • December 2013
  • October 2013
  • August 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • June 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • April 2009
  • March 2009
  • February 2009
  • January 2009
  • December 2008
  • November 2008
  • October 2008
  • September 2008
  • August 2008
  • July 2008
  • June 2008
  • May 2008
  • June 2007
  • April 2007

Categories

  • Book Reviews
  • Crafts and Charity
  • Gardening for Renters
  • Marketing Talk
  • Molly Maggie McGuire
  • Musings
  • PassionPlayers
  • Uncategorized

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Footer

marjorie.clayman@gmail.com

   

Margie Clayman © 2021