5 Things Making Life Meaningful Today

Here are 5 things making life meaningful today . . .

Delight – There’s a little girl that lives two doors down from me. She is in the 3-ish range and reminds me of . . . me. She has brown hair and brown eyes and she’s sometimes very sassy and sometimes very shy. One of my favorite things to hear in this very quiet apartment building of mine, is her little feet running at “full speed (three-year old version)” down the long wooden floor of our building. It usually happens at the end of the day when she returns with her dad from daycare. My theory is, they have a deal. When the elevator opens, she can run all the way down the hall. Otherwise, when I see her out with her parents, she is as slow as molasses (unless running away from her mama which she sometimes does). When I see her, I remember who I was born to be. It is utterly delightful to hear those little feet and to remember, for a moment, what it should have been like.

Grief – It’s a bitch. My brother’s birthday is a few days away (April 18). His death on May 22, 2022 changed everything. I miss him. I miss what won’t be. Most of all, I hurt for the time lost. But the pain is close this week. I will miss him always.

Beauty & Creating It – The world is a dumpster fire these days. There are days and weeks when it feels frivolous to speak and think of beauty. It seems frivolous to dream of creating it and speaking it into existence. Or, in my case, writing it. But to not create, speak, or write it – is to become like the world around us. I am hell-bent to not become like them.

Therapy – Therapy as an adult is so freaking good. I just so happen to have a lot of “stuff” to wade through. But, even if you don’t have past or recent trauma, therapy is an absolute game changer. It helps so much. If you think you might need it, you probably do. Find a therapist near you (virtual works too if that doesn’t bother you) and connect with other resources like “Being Well” or apps such as Headspace and Insight Timer. Finch may also be helpful if you just need a few basics to keep you focused and accomplishing small goals throughout your day.

Taylor Sheridan – Damn, boy. You can write. I am not sure anything will top LOST for me, but Taylor’s writing sure comes close. I never say this about television writers – though I enjoy many TV shows. I finished 1923 today, and I’m not sure I’ll ever be the same. Unlike his other shows, it took until that final episode to appreciate the beauty and justice. I got chills. I cried. I wished I was a better writer. Taylor has a gift. And while there is a lot of violence and depravity in so many parts of this series, this reality makes the beauty and justice that much more strikingly beautiful. P.S. I dream of a love like Alex and Spencer’s.

Here’s 24 Minutes of Alexandra & Spencer Dutton

These are my 5 things making life meaningful today. Sometimes it feels like the grief or depravity is all you can see. I’ve decided that the only way to navigate the beauty and the pain, is to do so wholeheartedly. Without facing the grief, I don’t see the beauty. Without the pain in Alex and Spencer’s story, you don’t understand the beauty of their love.

Life is ugly. Life is exquisitely beautiful. We don’t fully know one without the other.