Stephanie Klein recently wrote a post about passion, about the sometimes little things in life that send her into the world of giddy. I’m a kindred spirit in this, and we both suffer from the desire to see similar things light up the lives of those we love. Seems to me that passion is like any of the genes; it’s either turned on in you or it isn’t. I’m more than pleased to report that my squee ability remains intact, ever at the ready. On some days, the need to experience passion is a pull that makes me want to stop whatever it is that I must do so I can get on with even the minute that my soul craves. Not always possible. But delightful to consider.
A few things that remind me about the beauty of this world:
Purchasing travel , the farther the destination the better. Almost nothing makes my life light up quite like using my passport.
The fact that I’m reading again, discovering books you likely read 10 years ago. I cannot describe colorfully enough the impact that this has had on my life.
Sentences that are close to perfect. I have a highlighter on my person at almost all times.
Most every recap written on Television With Pity.
The perfection that is spicy food. Lamb vindaloo, sriracha mixed in hummus or ketchup, kee mao with the request of an extra kick that makes servers question my choice.
New pillows, textiles, vases – anything that pulls a room together. Chances are someone will have to point the item out to me, as I’m less than savvy when it comes to interior design, but when it works, the world feels in alignment.
A fire in my fireplace. Nature’s wood not required.
Unexpected conversations with strangers, mostly on travel. The ones you leave knowing that a couple first met in grade school, that a woman has never seen a chipmunk before, that someone is not only a dentist but a nationally-ranked billiards player.
Cheese. Stilton, Gruyere, Dubliner, Edam, Smoked Gouda, Parmigiano Reggiano, Pepper Jack, Sharp White Cheddar. Come to me.
Day trips to wineries, no matter the size or location.
The feeling I get each and every time a pipsqueak is born on A Baby Story. For a woman who is relatively sure she will never birth a baby, few things fill me with joy as witnessing a new life begin.
Personalized note cards.
Salt, everything bagels.
Photographs in which everyone is pleased with how they look. Eyes are open and chins are singular.
Dressing up for black tie events and feeling spectacular. When everything is in place. Hair, skin, dress, heels, conversation, company.
Chunky peanut butter and peanut sauce.
Pizza with fresh spinach and ricotta, with a thicker crust, half of the crust crispy and slightly burnt. Crust bubbles have been known to send me over the edge.
Receiving life-changing good news from my closest friends and family. I feel like some is waiting in the wings right now, actually.
The opening notes of a Billy Joel concert.
The thought of SCUBA diving (which I will do someday!) Do colors like that really exist underwater? Hot damn I’m going to find them.
Animals. A wee puppy charging through the snow, a sand crab scurrying down the beach, footage of mama monkeys tending to their wee hairy babies.
You?
15 Comments
want to go to Chile with me???
salt bagels may be the best round morning food invention ever. and they’re like a treasure these days because they’re so hard to find.
Good paper and notebooks and pens. I could spend about the same amount of time in those aisle in Office Depot as I could in Sephora. Which reminds me: potions and lotions.
And everything you said too.
I have the same feeling for the recaps written on TWoP. I look forward to those more than the damn show sometimes.
Downhill skiing with blue skies makes me giddy.
Cracking open a new book. God, I love the smell of a new book.
A perfectly baked chocolate chip cookie.
I DO Love travel. And cheese. And reading.
Love this post. One of my friends, who died five years ago this month, asked me in one of our very last conversations, “What are you passionate about?” and I didn’t have an answer. I’ve spent half a decade trying to figure it out.
Happiness is…
(It’s too long to drop in here, but well worth your time.)
A really good bottle of wine.
Bacon cooked perfectly.
Going to a live sporting event.
When my plane takes off.
When a song is so heavy that you can feel it in your guts.
Sleeping in.
oh muh gawd
….running to make my own list.
(your’s is sooooo squee worthy)
you always makes such great lists!
A big win for any one of my sports teams.
Cool, old buildings.
The hiking on the C&O Canal in the Fall.
The first beer at Happy Hour.
The Rolling Stones “Exile on Main Street.”
Anywhere not covered in snow.
It’s too early for me to answer this. Be back after my shower.
OK, wait, hot showers make me squee!
We share many on our lists though you put it more eloquently.
I’ll add. . . my nephew taking my hand, the perfect milk/sweetener combo in my Irish Breakfast Tea, the sunrise pink in the sky, drenched in the rain and the smell of wet concrete, a dog wagging its tail…
I could say ditto to almost everything on this list. Except the cheese. Unfortunately, I have that inconvenient lactose intolerance thing. *sigh*
I took a SCUBA “lesson” on my recent trip to the Dominican. Where “lesson” = I breathed through a regulator for a few minutes in the pool. I could tell immediately that I will love SCUBA diving in a real live ocean!