an incomplete list of things i love

An incomplete, long list of all the things I love:

• the way getting my hair done makes me feel like a brand new person
• the smell of new books, the crack of a hardback's spine, the soft edges of old paperbacks
• my dog, who smiles every time she sees me
• every other dog who has ever been or will be born unto this world
• burger joints, the scent of my childhood
• my athletes and the uncomplicated way we love each other
• athletic training
• anne carson's poetry, shakespearean tragedies, the clever usage of greek choruses
• the number four
• listing things in threes
• beautiful quotes in books that take you by surprise
• the sound a wine bottle makes when you finally get the cork out
• vine compilations
• the inexplicable smile brought on from shouting the words to africa by toto at the top of your lungs in an overcrowded, dingy bar
• a text from someone you thought stopped thinking about you
• the ocean, the stars, trees
• the way cold wind on a summer's day feels like a life raft
• the way cold wind in the winter feels pure, but also like death, and the existential crisis that thought brings 
• lipstick in any and all colors
• skincare products that don't break out my baby-sensitive skin
• cholula hot sauce, which i want to bathe in and drink and all the other things you should definitely not do with hot sauce
• sundays dedicated to bath bombs, face masks, manicures, reading books for fun, and drinking enough wine to get pleasantly buzzed
• you can find recipes for anything on buzzfeed 
• buzzfeed in general
• lists
• crossing things off lists
• creating lists with mundane tasks like 'go to work' just for the sake of crossing things off lists because it makes you feel productive
• the pulled pork mac and cheese from fire on the monan in indianapolis, which i still dream about almost four years later
• over the knee boots
• ankle boots
• fuzzy socks 
• socks in fun prints
• midi skirts, which never fail to make me feel like i'm living in a foreign film, usually a rom com
• really strong tea that happens to be sweet enough to rot my teeth out
• herbal tea, especially mint tea, even though it now reminds me of long days camped out at the hospital
• no longer having to camp out at the hospital
• my brother, who is the most glorious human ever created
• my parents, who have loved me through all my crazy schemes
• my uncles, aunt, cousins, and grandmother, who have the kindest and most generous hearts i've ever encountered
• melissa, laurel, derek, and anthony, the friends i don't actually deserve but do my damnedest to keep ahold of
• parks and rec
• museums, especially art museums, but really just museums as a concept
• van gogh, frida khalo, michaelangelo
• coffee table books, particularly art books, but again, coffee table books as a concept
• finding pants that are actually long enough for my long ass legs!!!
• dresses of all styles, but especially sundresses
• floral perfume
• fresh flowers, especially the ones from trader joes that are so pretty and so inexpensive
• the book i'm writing
• getting to talk about literature all day AS A JOB!!!!
• the way people's eyes sparkle when they talk about things they love
• when the world goes a little gently fuzzy at the edges when you're a little buzzed
• vent sessions with people who will gladly listen for thirty minutes while you purge all the negative energy from your life
• vent session where you're the one listening to someone else purge all the negative energy from their life
• white mochas from starbucks, and the fact i don't care how basic it makes me look
• pumpkin muffins from panera
• homemade banana bread
• pictures hanging on walls, and the way they let you know what matters to other people and to yourself
• meal prepping on sundays, dancing in the kitchen with music blaring, spoons sticking out of the pockets of aprons
• just aprons in general
• the way you can fall a little in love with people you'll never really know, like the ones in the lane next to you singing along to the radio while you're stuck in traffic, or the people who look perplexed in the produce section of the grocery store
• farmer's markets
• sugar scrubs, good lotion, anything that makes my skin stop resembling a lizard's scales
• the beauty of le creuset dishes
• lunches spent alone in my classroom, a half hour respite from chaos
• eating adventurously 
• adventures as a whole
• a woman with a really classic and lovely sense of style
• girls with fearless, trendy, edgy senses of style
• everyone who falls in between 
• the solidarity of the only two girls in a room full of men
• target late at night and the way it feels like it doesn't really exist in this plane of reality
• the feeling you get when you donate clothes
• HOBY and the ability to invest my time in raising powerful, socially-conscious, revolutionary young people
• cardigans, oversized sweaters, tights
• a really bitchin coat
• leather jackets in any and all forms and styles
• the satisfaction and convenience of online shopping
• "this made me think of you" texts or phone calls
• randomly launching into a story about the wild thing that happened to me that day to my friends, who play along and ask questions at the right time and act suitably shocked
• really good ink pens
• stationary/office supply stores
• bed, bath, and beyond
• overcrowded bookshelves
• friends and family who know that i collect mugs, magnets, and postcards
• sweatshirts from places i've traveled to
• aesthetically pleasing pinterest boards
• the fact that the internet exists and allows you to connect to people half the world away? amazing
• the curl of spanish and italian, in contrast to the jabs of norwegian 
• tv shows and movies in foreign languages with subtitles
• the knowledge that sparkling water is almost as disgusting as pineapple on pizza
• really good barbecue
• pierogi
• unseasonably warm weather in the winter
• group chats that cover every topic under the sun because these are your people and you can talk to them about literally everything
• ice water
• gothic churches
• family traditions
• friend traditions
• college traditions
• the satisfaction of learning to french braid, even if i'm terrible at it
• knowing someone for so long and so well that you can have silent conversations with only your eyebrows
• the way my brain just goes quiet when i'm with certain people
• when you finally see someone that you've gone far too long without seeing
• airport hellos
• airport goodbyes
• stolen kisses
• those really elegant hairdos you see on women that look so simple and effortless 
• oscar wilde and his unending obsession with the aesthetic
• interior design, not that i'm good at it, but seeing the way other people decorate their homes
• stargazing, especially when no one knows any constellations so you make them all up 
• a really, really good book, regardless of genre or topic
• the way certain places remind you of people
• the weird things that stick with you, like the time matt broke his ankle in the mayo apartments because he was doing the punishment for never making a shot playing beer pong
• falling in love, and the way it makes you ache all over in a good way
• good lighting
• snapchat filters
• the way you can just exist with some people because you don't have to fill every minute with idle chatter; you can just enjoy breathing the same air and sharing the same space
• artistic outlets and the catharsis they bring
• the determination and courage to try new things
• living in the moment
• taking thousands of photos because you know that memory isn't reliable and you never want to forget this moment
• yoga
• swearing in languages that aren't your first 
• learning expressions that don't translate well into other languages
• language in general 
• my gift of gab
• thoughtful gifts from friends and family who really get you
• good wine, even better if it's a good sangria
• pasta in all forms and flavors
• blanket scarves and all things cozy
• candles
• the fact that my hair color makes it impossible for me to fade into the background
• high quality headphones that don't cost an arm and a leg
• amazon prime and all the perks you get on top of free two-day shipping
• when your winged eyeliner comes out perfectly on the first try
• matte lipstick that actually stays on all day
• white chocolate
• the confidence of being competent
• nata conventions, or any kind of gathering of like-minded people
• learning to love yourself and your life
• sleeping in and staying in bed as long as possible because you're so comfy
• therapy, medications, and coping mechanisms
• when it finally cools off enough in september to be able to breathe again 
• really good episodes of television, like 'thanksgiving' from master of none or 'leslie and ben' from parks and rec
• comedy specials from bo burnham and hasan minhaj 
• knowing that you are enough, exactly the way you are