The Little Things

Today I read a quote by Garth Stein which said:

"to live every day as if it had been stolen from death, that is how i would like to live."

If I'm being honest, I've been really hard on myself lately and not really enjoying life. I let the days blend together and really have not been appreciative of the great life I have. This quote really made me stop for a moment and ponder about what I would like my day to be like if I knew it was my last. It's a humbling thought. If you think about it, there is absolutely no guarantee that you'll make it through the day. No guarantee that when you go to bed tonight, you'll wake up in the morning. I realize this is an utterly depressing thought, but it doesn't have to be.

 I know there are things that all of us want to do before we kick the bucket. I know I have an enormous list that mostly involves traveling to exotic destinations, but at the end of the day, my life will not be a complete waste if I leave this earth without having seen the Eifel Tower, or having stood on the Great Wall of China.

It's not really the places we've seen that matter, but it's really about noticing the little things that make each day unique from the rest. It's about the people we meet and experiences we embrace. I love/hate that moment when you get pulled back inside your head and realize that for a moment you've been completely present in the now. You've been engaged in life.

I don't want to look back and wish that I'd paid more attention to little things. I have a tendency to spend most the day inside my own head and not really pay attention to the people and things surrounding me. Beginning today, I want to change this. I want to be as present as possible and to kick this off, I thought I might share a few of the little things that make me happy.

1) Driving with the windows rolled down.

2) The feeling after you've spent the day in the sun and you return home to a nice cold air conditioned house.

3) Blackberry lemonade

4) Inappropriate jokes

5) Hearing your favorite song on the radio

Oh, and since I totally spaced on doing a playlist yesterday

(bowing head in shame)

here is a playlist of a few songs that always put me in a good mood.

Enjoy!