UF PRISM

If you know me, you know I love a good list. The iPhone Notes app. Colorful sticky notes scattered across my desk. Windows Notepad open on my desktop. to-dos, grocery lists, and maybe a bullet-pointed Word doc of cartoon character “hear me outs” passionately debated over a night with friends.

Ordinary/Extraordinary

If you know me, you know I love a good list. The iPhone Notes app. Colorful sticky notes scattered across my desk. Windows Notepad left open on my laptop. To-dos, grocery lists, and maybe a bullet-pointed Word doc of cartoon character “hear me outs” passionately debated during a night with friends.

I present you with one of my consolidations: a list of moments that have saved me and provided me a renewed sense of joy in my recent life. In no particular order:

• The bridge and outro of “Float On” by Modest Mouse.
• When I find a phenomenally deeply red, unbruised apple at the dining hall.
• Late night kayaking in the middle of Lake Wauburg on the Honors “PJs and Paddling” trip, laughing with my good friends and seeing a striking number of stars poking through the clear sky. 
• “Wild Geese” by Mary Oliver.
• Enjoying walks to Lake Alice without my phone.
• When a DoorDash order of brown sugar boba tea appeared on my porch from my best friend after she had heard about me having an awful day.
• Belting The Strokes in the car with my friend in North Carolina while we gleefully barrel down the highway as the wind whipped our hair.
• My first watch of Everything Everywhere All At Once.
• Hearing my mom’s perfectly overly optimistic cadence over the phone when I catch up with her.
• When the stray UF campus cats decide I’m worthy of petting them.
• Going to the beach at midnight in winter with my best friends, lying out on a blanket and hugging each other for warmth.
• Driving through the twisting path of the Smoky Mountains with my family and no phone signal, gazing at the trees out the window with my little brother.
• When the gorgeous waitress at Harry’s in downtown Gainesville sent my roommate and I home with extra bread after dinner.
• My hard-to-please little brother randomly complimenting my outfit one day.
• Choosing radical acceptance over an excessive effort to control.
• My past coworker, Elvis, who made me laugh every single shift, but also imparted so much wisdom and taught me lots about kindness.
• Reaching that stage of platonic female friendships where you start holding hands.
• My freshman year biology teacher tearing up when I gave her an appreciative card.
• Interactions with girls in various bathrooms.
• Enjoying conversations with friends and equally memorable pho at Vietnamese Grille.
• Receiving links to music videos from my dad via Gmail because he thinks I might like the song (thanks for The Magnetic Fields and Metric!)
• Being awestruck seeing bioluminescence on the beach at night with my friend Lily—it was like tiny electric blue fairies lighting up the waves as they hit the shore.
• Every cup of vanilla chamomile tea, especially in January.
• Jumping off a secret dock tucked away behind the beach in summer with my friends, smelling like sunscreen and eating mangos that tasted like salt and sand.
• Feeling so loved when I received a personalized, annotated book from someone close to me.
• Playing Scrabble over pancakes with my dear friend Sandy, not counting score but rather cheering on each others’ vocabulary choices.
• When someone intentionally goes out of their way to make me feel included and heard in a group conversation.
• The Mister Rogers quote that goes: “When I was a boy, and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’”
• When my roommate and I planned a last-minute friendsgiving potluck at our dorm, managing to seamlessly merge friend groups and enjoy the best conglomeration of food we’ve had in college. 
• Talking to strangers. Responsibly.
• When I volunteered at an elementary school, two little girls who I had connected with ran up to me to offer me their drawings and stickers as I was leaving—best hugs of my life.
• Coming home exhausted at 3 a.m. after seeing Charli XCX and Troye Sivan and immediately escorting myself to Taco Bell for a grilled cheese burrito.
• Catching a stranger’s eye and sharing a laugh at some odd circumstance.
• My mom leaving notes in my lunchbox for me to unpack in high school, anywhere from “I love you” to “Kick ass today!”
• The friends and support system I met at my peer-driven sex-ed extracurricular every Wednesday evening in senior year.
• Hearing the quote “Be curious, not judgmental” on Ted Lasso.
• Realizing the beauty in going to places alone.
• Music. Music. Always music.
• My roommate thoughtfully cutting up a bowl of fruits for me before I even knew her well.
• When my favorite teacher in high school, who was generally stoic, gave me a huge, sweeping hug on the last day.
• Leaning into spontaneity, such as buying concert tickets with absolutely no plan of how I will get there. (It has always worked out!)
• The feeling of sunshine on my face and a good book in my hands.
• When my hometown groupchat is finally all on FaceTime at once.
• The first time my little brother earnestly opened up to me to ask for advice.
• When strangers, particularly older women, smile at me.
• The realization that great, truly extraordinary moments live inside the ordinary, and that this list will never be complete. (!!!)

I urge you: be receptive to joy, wonder, and tenderness. How lucky we are, simply to experience.

What would you add to your list?