A List of Very Good Things (pt. 3)

1. The Netflix infinity documentary

2. Discovering authors that are exactly what you want to read. Chuck Palahniuk and Adam Gnade to be specific.

3. The unruly community bonding over chaos and sugar and lawless delight of Halloween. Especially with kids who are still delighted by the magic of it.

4. My son and I went to a soccer tournament he had in Las Vegas recently. He’s the keeper, and has a hell of a kick. I delight in watching him be a good leader, good teammate, incredible athlete, and when he kicks that ball it is like magic. I love to watch him live in those spaces where the overlap exists between what he’s good at and what he enjoys doing.

5. Coming inside from the cold/getting cozy in layers of blankets/warming up again after having been cold/feeling the hot chocolate spread through your chest after you drink it. The contrast is what I like about fall and winter. Having just been cold, you find relief - that is a moment of joy.

6. Seat warmers. Not mad about those at all.

7. Tamales, homemade baklava, hot homemade rolls, molasses cookies on day 2 when they’re soft and perfect but still a smidge crackly on the outside from the sugar, and a perfect pot roast that’s been cooking all day and you stab it with a fork as soon as you get home from work and it melts and makes your teeth feel happy.

8. Being the only person who doesn’t speak the language at the holiday party (note to myself to do this more often it was excellent).

9. Talking to friends deep into the night every couple of months for hours with no pauses at all. 9a - the ones with whom you can have deep conversations, who ask you deep questions because they want to know the answers and they listen when you give them and answer the questions you ask in depth also and not because they’re proud of the question or want to hear themselves talk but because they’re interested and they care. 9b - the ones you can spend hours with in person, learning new things and eating and talking and being comfortable, feeling uplifted, valued, heard, and like they feel the same from being around you too. Sharing music and food and movies and wanting to do it again. That’s a very good thing.

10. Young Kurt Russell. Specifically in Escape from New York, and Big Trouble in Little China. Both new to me. Both incredible pieces of media that delighted me so so so much.

11. a bonus 11th thing - realizing the growth of this year. the massive massive healing, learning, shifting, boundary setting, tear stained, stretch marked, scorched path that has been and led to the now where I can see and feel peace, love, contentment, safety, and the home in myself.