By Emi Gruender
Though I usually look down upon writing an article consisting of nothing more than a list, I find that the simplest things in life often don’t need explanation. Similar to explaining a joke after telling it, it is simply unnecessary. Much more than the extravagant things, I find the simple moments capable of holding the most joy.
- Being safe indoors during a thunderstorm
- Noodles (Ramen AND Pasta!)
- A movie that makes you cry (in a bittersweet way)
- Long stories on Tumblr
- My three-legged dog, Gemma
- Warm summer evenings
- Playing in water on a hot summer day
- Falling asleep in the car
- An unexpected romance in a book whose genre is not romance
- Farming/village games, like Story of Seasons; Trio of Towns or Stardew Valley
- Cup noodles with fresh green onions
- My Ba Ngoai and Ong Ngoai
- Scrapbooks absolutely bursting at the seams with art and meaningful paper scraps
- A genuine smile with a stranger across the room
- The Princess and The Frog
- Genuine, unfettered laughter
- Making the audience laugh while onstage
- Candid photographs, the ones full of motion and being fully present in the moments
- Terrifying roller coasters
- Playing horror games with my friends (mostly watching them play the horror games)
- spontaneous adventures that have plot twists in real life
- An annotated and well-loved book
- Warm oceans on a sunny day
- The smell of melted butter
- Flowing summer dresses
- Starry skies in the woods next to a bonfire
- Making children laugh
- …positive feedback…
- Firsts
- Getting tagged in my friend’s posts
- Pretentious moral debates that continue for an hour
- Speculation about things that will never have an answer
- Getting the role!
- When plans leave the GC
- Art (PRE-MODERN!!!!)
- Funky and weird sea creatures
- Non-primate animals displaying incredible levels of intelligence (dogs, octopi, corvids, pigs)
- The Goonies (1985)
- Acting and performing
- Sitting on the top of a car to watch the sunset
- Joyrides with the music as loud as it can be with friends
- Writing as a member of The Shield
Though I love big things like vacations or winning as much as the next person, I find that the list of the little things in life above really make life magical.