This week my university went through the unimaginable. On the last Monday of class, when people should've been stressing about upcoming finals and end-of-semester projects and dreaming about the days of summer, students were, instead, running for their lives. Our campus, our home-away-from-home, our safe haven was turned into a terror zone. Students no longer feel safe to walk to class by themselves, they feel uncomfortable sporting t-shirts broadcasting their membership of certain groups, and everyone is frustrated with the way the situation was handled. The University of Texas was attacked, and while it's easy to lose ourselves in the anger and hate that inevitably stems from situations like this, it's better to instead turn our thoughts to things more positive.

So this article won't be a way for me to vent my frustrations, or express my anger at an act occurring like this -- you've most likely already read multiple articles, Facebook posts, and text messages along these lines -- instead this article will be the list of happy thoughts, memories, and feelings I thought of on Monday while I refreshed my feed and triple-checked my texts while I waited for friend to check in and news to be shared.

1. Laughing and conspiring with your little sister.

2. The chorus of "hey's" and "how are ya's" you receive from your roommates the minute you get home.

3. A warm hug from Dad.

4. That feeling when the family dog chooses you over your siblings.

5. The taste of a chocolate milkshake.

6. The sense of uncontrollable pride in yourself when you accomplished something you've worked hard for.

7. A walk under the Tower on a beautiful spring day.

8. Dancing and jumping around with my Wyld Life girls.

9. A night spent in laughing with my best friends.

10. The crazy stories my best friends and I have from the nights we decide to go out.

11. A kiss on the forehead.

12. Singing "The Eyes of Texas Are Upon You" at the top of your lungs.

13. A day spent with Mom.

14. The memories you create with your cousins and siblings.

15. A good glass of wine.

16. Time spent with the Lord.

17. Hearing a Taylor Swift song.

18. Listening to throwback songs.

19. Scrolling through old Facebook pictures and remembering your old friends and the memories you shared.

20. Taking a risk.

21. Study dates that turn into life-talks.

22. Experiencing something new.

23. Meeting someone new.

24. Going on random adventures.

25. Acing that test you studied days for.

26. Acing that test you studied two hours for.

27. The all-nighters pulled with friends -- whether that's in the library or out on the town.

28. When UT beat Notre Dame.

29. Visiting new places.

30. Receiving an unexpected text from an old friend.

31. Spending time with your older brother.

32. Butterflies on a first date.

33. Crying during a heart-wrenching movie.

34. Seeing a dog on a bad day.

35. A bowl of good macaroni and cheese.

36. Chili's

37. Listening to your grandparents' stories.

38. Slowly figuring out where your life's heading.

39. A day spent binge-watching Netflix.

40. Picking up and finishing a good book.

41. The smell of fall.

42. Starbucks coffee.

43. A day spent at the lake.

44. The smell of a barbecue.

45. The possibility of starting over every New Year's Eve.

46. The contagious joy that comes during the month of December.

47. When a cat deems you with its presence.

48. Reuniting with your friends after time spent apart.

49. A glass of Dr. Pepper.

50. Knowing that the Lord holds me safely in His hands at all times.

This world isn't perfect. People do stupid things for stupid reasons, and innocent lives are lost or hurt or forever changed. But falling to anger or hate does nothing good in the end -- all it leads to is more darkness and sadness and terror. But by focusing on other things, small or big, this world can start to grow and become a better place. I'm not naive, I know that happy thoughts won't solve the world's issues and that it will take a lot more than thinking positively to get to the root of what's wrong with the world, but it is a start and a step in the right direction.