Was going through a box of photos this afternoon when I came across this piece of paper with a quote from Douglas Coupland's Gen X. I read that book way before and I don't remember what it's about anymore, but I probably had taken note of this quote at a time when Twitter was non-existent.
"After you're dead and buried and floating around whatever place we go to, what's going to be your best memory of earth? What one moment for you defines what it's like to be alive on this planet? What's your takeaway? Fake yuppy experiences that you had to spend money on, like white water rafting or elephant rides in Thailand don't count. I want to hear some small moment from your life that proves you're really alive."
So what are those moments, really? Not a particular moment comes to mind now (nothing like the "hearing my firstborn cry for the first time after coming out of my womb" kinda thing), but I do have a list of things that give me a natural high. Life's simple joys:
- Feeling loved by the people you care about
- Walking around alone in a place you've never been before
- Waking up to the sound of the waves and smell of the sea
- Your parents telling you they're proud of you
- Being with friends
- Cracking a joke that makes everybody laugh
- Laughing so hard until your tummy aches and your jaw's tired
- Going on a roadtrip with a really cool bunch of people, coupled with a really good playlist
- Singing out loud like you really know how to sing
- Being struck by that one line in a song that somehow articulates how you feel
- Getting a pat on the back at work and actually believing that you deserve it (because sometimes I get it and I'm like... di nga??!)
- That first swig from a cold bottle of beer that you've been anticipating all day
- Dancing like no one's watching
- Overhearing people say nice things about you
- Discovering money that you forgot you kept somewhere
- Releasing all inhibitions and getting hammered out of your senses (couldn't say the same about the morning after, though)
- The doctors saying mom is well enough to go home after being confined in the hospital
- Plane taking off and landing (some people hate it but I love it, I get a rush from it)
- Sitting in a car with someone and feeling perfectly comfortable with the silence and loving every minute of it knowing you don't have to exert an effort to entertain / engage in small talk because you just see eye to eye
- Satisfying a food craving that you've had for days
- Seeing a gas station with a good toilet after having been stuck in heavy traffic and controlling your pee
- Getting little surprises that you really didn't expect (uhm, yeah, it's called a surprise)
- Watching a concert or an Ateneo game live and screaming your heart out
- Your favorite sports team emerging victorious
- Feeling needed -- like you're important to people you love.
