As I’ve matured in my life and come to the wise and cultured age of 21, I’ve come to a realization about this thing we call life. As much as stories and movies tell us otherwise, it’s the little things that make life great. I mean, sure the big things are pretty great too (like getting your braces off or finally getting your learner’s permit), but what about all the other times? The day to day, minute to minute things that make you sit back and say, “I’m so happy I’m alive right now and able to feel like this.”
So as 2015 comes to a close, I decided to make a list of seemingly mundane things that make my life awesome. Here’s the first 50 out of 100. I split them up because I felt like a list of 100 things can be intimidating, and also I wanted you guys to have to read my next article.
So here goes nothing, introducing:
Things that make life great (at least in Marissa McCormick’s eyes):
- The brown crunchy crust on hash browns
- Stuffed crust pizza
- Kisses from little kids, especially little kids that don’t actually know how to kiss so it ends up with them just kind of pressing their face into yours.
- Soldier coming home videos. If you want a good cry I recommend these. I once watched 45 minutes of them before class and my teacher asked me when I walked in if everything in my life was alright.
- Underdog auditions on American Idol or Britain’s Got Talent or any show like that. Get ready to cry my friends. Oh you’re a single father who didn’t have anytime to pursue his singing career because he was taking care of the kids? It’s a yes from me.
- When a dog leans on you.
- Tan lines
- Bonfires
- Breweries
- Beer
- Berenstain Bears Books. I honestly just wanted to continue that alliteration.
- Texts that actually make you laugh out loud not just blow air out of your nose.
- Internet memes
- Dancing in bars.
- Ireland. The whole country. The accents. The people, all of it.
- The Food Network, and yes, even you Guy Fieri.
- Brand new pens (or pencils if you’re into that kind of stuff).
- The brownie from the middle of the pan.
- Tom Hanks.
- Live music.
- Singing along to a song at a live concert.
- Hugs from grandparents.
- That secret handshake with your grandpa where he slips you a twenty-dollar bill.
- Belly laughs
- Jimmy Fallon
- Heels that actually don’t make your feet hurt.
- Holding hands
- Resting your head on someone’s shoulder
- The word Quinoa. Sure, it doesn’t taste like anything, but you’re straight lying to yourself if that’s not the most fun word to say in the English language.
- Pink strawberry frosted donuts with sprinkles.
- Grilled hotdogs with the perfect amount of burnt.
- The song “Bizarre Love Triangle” by New Order.
- Personalized secret handshakes (similar to the Parent Trap handshake)
- Worn in sweatshirts
- Ornaments you made in elementary school
- Surprisingly easy small talk.
- The ability to screenshot Snapchats, the more double chins the better.
- A number one at Chick-fil-a with Chick-fil-a sauce
- Passing a cop while speeding and he doesn’t pull out after you.
- Shooting a piece of trash into a wastebasket and least one person sees you score it.
- Winks (disclaimer: could be very creepy, must be executed by the right person in the right time.)
- The view at the end of a hike
- Talking to a person under the age of four
- Perfectly executed cannonballs
- Scratching that itch you couldn’t reach
- Singing “Sweet Caroline” while intoxicated at a bar
- A Greg Brady at Jack Browns on a Friday
- Crushes
- A perfectly lined up high-five
- Being halfway through a very hilarious list (keep an eye out for Part 2 and 50 more things that make life great).