small good things from october

when you pay attention to joy, it grows

In the last month, I have made an intentional effort to notice and record the small, good things that happen every day. This is not the same as a gratitude list. My gratitude list is nuanced and informed by circumstance. Sometimes I am grateful for surviving. For remaining hopeful or kind or curious when I feel the opposite. I’m grateful for my safe home after a hard day or my bed when I am sick.

Obviously these are good and important things and it is good and important to pay attention to them, but my little list of small good things has been more black and white. It’s purely about things that made me feel good. These moments are plentiful but they pass me by so quickly so I am catching them and telling them I love them in the hope they go and tell their friends and all come back to me again so soon.

Here’s what was small (actually huge) and good (unbelievably impactful) or just, like, deeply funny in october:

• my niece, eliana, saying my name

• vegetarian popcorn chicken

• taste by sabrina carpenter

• spontaneous pizza nights with my chorus friends

• the lady at the body shop telling me to come back tomorrow because the product I wanted would be on sale then

• writing outside in the sun with a view of the beach

• watching shrek 2 with my friends

• moo deng

• hot to go by chappell roan

• laughing until I’m breathless with TJ

• bottle feeding lambs

• a free Irish language lesson online

• what if i? (the grocery store song) by molly grace

• hugging dayanitha

• fish and chips at the beach

• peter telling the smart toilet at our airbnb to “chill out bruv” when the lid automatically opened when you walked into the bathroom

• so true with caleb hearon

• singing he kakano ahau (a song in te reo Māori about connecting to your ancestors and knowing who you are through them) during a chorus rehearsal held at my mum’s old high school

• these eggs:

• reconnecting with my cousin, jack

• fresh afghans made by our airbnb hosts

• helen mirren’s apparent obsession with the tragedy of kurt cobain never experiencing gps technology

• singing at my grandma’s rest home with my chorus

• a clear view of mount taranaki after the storm

• unpacking various pop culture thangs (in person!!!) with dayanitha

• my cat, maura, scratching at the door when I take too long in the bathroom

• this messsage:

What brought you joy or made you laugh recently? What was small and good for you in october? I really truly genuinely want to know.