Essay 2: Happy List

In the summer before my 8th grade year, a couple of my cousins from my mom’s side stayed with us for 2 weeks. I remember because we were in the house on Olive Street when we decided to make Happy Lists. Mine is currently probably hiding somewhere in my various journals. In honor of trying to think of what will make me happy this summer, I’ll make a new one, with no order of preference, at 20-years-old.

1. Spending time with my family, my partner, and/or my friends (also considered chosen family)
2. sleeping in
3. feeling comfortable in my own skin
4. feeling comfortable being alone
5. curly hair on anyone
6. babies with dimples for knuckles
7. flower crowns made of real flowers on my head
8. compliments
9. journals
10. the 3 colorful “posters” I designed myself next to my bed
11. feeling self-sufficient sometimes
12. being shielded behind my hood’s fur-lining when it’s snowing
13. warmth
14. desert landscapes
15. flowering springtime
16. people of color
17. people of color loving themselves
18. making others laugh
19. intersectional feminist books
20. books in general
21. speaking Spanish when chismeando
22. hugs
23. lots of hugs
24. cuddling
25. platonic hand-holding
26. being covered by 5 blankets
27. electric blanket
28. talking on the phone (?!) with my partner
29. puppies
30. posting pictures of puppies from the interwebs
31. receiving pictures of puppies
32. celebrating birthdays
33. receiving payment from work
34. iced coffee
35. making the perfect foam for macchiatos
36. platonic flirting
37. kissing friends on the cheek
38. when friends tell me they miss me first
39. funny group texts
40. having time to read for fun
41. memes
42. my saguaro cactus onesie
43. jeans that make my butt look good
44. crafting/anything that keeps my hand busy
45. freshly-threaded eyebrows
46. lipstick
47. food
48. tacos de carne asada o tripas, todo con queso por favor
49. owls
50. purple
51. cuddle puddles
52. sunny days with a couple of rainy days thrown in for perfect writing lighting
53. feeling the flow of writing that doesn’t stop until it needs to

Luckily, I could keep going. I could probably write devotionals to a couple of the things on my Happy List, which will come eventually. The things on the list excite my everyday life, keeping the daily of life bright.