An ongoing list. Updated whenever I remember something.
Kids.
Not just my son Vian, though obviously him most of all. Kids in general. The way they look at the world like it’s brand new every single day. I don’t have to know them. I just have to see them. Something in me just… loosens.
Bad jokes.
The worse, the better. I don’t care if nobody else laughs. I find humor in places most people don’t bother to look. I’ve accepted this about myself.
The sky.
Early morning. Late evening. That specific moment when the light changes and you realize you’ve been staring for a while. Birds help. Birds almost always help.
Stray cats and dogs that are doing well.
You know those places where the whole community just quietly decided to take care of the strays? Istanbul does this. There’s a cat island in Japan. No drama, no organization. Just people being decent. That image makes me genuinely warm inside.
Trains.
Something about the rhythm. The passing landscape. The fact that you’re going somewhere and you’re not the one driving. Ships too, when I get the chance. I like travel, but more than that, I like being in transit. It’s a small permission to just exist without doing anything.
Strangers with stories.
At malls, on commutes, anywhere people gather. I watch. Not in a creepy way. In a curious way. Everyone is carrying a whole episode of their life right now. If you pay attention, sometimes you catch a glimpse of it. A look, a gesture, a small moment. I collect these without knowing what for.
A good conversation with someone I’ve just met.
Not small talk. Real talk. The kind where you both lean in a little. I don’t want to force it, but when it happens on a train or in a waiting room, it’s one of the best things.
Dense writing, rewritten simply.
I have ADHD. Long paragraphs full of important ideas used to feel like punishment. Now I rewrite them for myself. Short sentences. The punch without the padding. Reading becomes something I actually look forward to.
Follow-ups.
When someone comes back and says “hey, that thing worked.” Or “I tried what you suggested.” Or just closes the loop on something. I don’t know why this feels so good, but it does every time.
Young people who are genuinely curious.
Not talented. Curious. There’s a difference. I see someone in their early twenties who is hungry to figure things out and I feel something close to hope. I remember being that. It makes me glad the world still makes people like that.
Good movies where I see myself in someone.
Not necessarily a happy story. Just a true one. When a character does something I’ve done, or feels something I’ve felt, I feel less alone in a way I can’t fully explain.
This list is not finished. It probably never will be.
That’s the point.
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