When I was in high school and all sorts of shit was hitting all sorts of fans, my friend Megan Mackin and I made list of things to be happy about. This was 1996 or so.
I still have this list.
The original copy.
I still read this list periodically.
It calms me.
When I was in college, in the midst of another storm of fecal proportions, I continued to work on this list of things to be happy about. I was looking for a quote in one of my journals yesterday when I found that list from college (the quote was, “Facts are not pleasant things to rub into your dreams when you're dreaming, but they are mighty pleasant things when you're living.” --From Enos Mills' “Adventures of a Nature Guide” and it was in an entirely different journal). It was astounding to read that list—it's a little over seven years old, but so much of it I still believe. I thought I'd post a portion of it for you all. Even if you don't know everything that's referenced, it's all things to be happy about, I assure you.
Things to be Happy About, as written 10.9.00:
The Law 404 mix tape * Equipment Room keys * Donna the Buffalo * Artie the retarded cat * ESF Stumpies * Cloudless, hot, sunny summer days on the water * Lotus Designs PFDs * Rapelling into a cave * War wounds * Skinny Dipping * Amy McNally * Campfires * thermarests * New gear * Woodchuck Raspberry Hard Cider * Syracuse University Outing Club, SUOC * Mini-fridges * Down comforters * carabiners * nalgene bottles * dry fleece * Overalls * Hank the 1987 F-150 Pickup Truck * Eddie From Ohio * Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's “Fishin' In the Dark” * Boland 2 * Front porches * People laying around in people puddles * Sunny mornings * New guitar strings * Mud wrestling * My laptop * magnetic poetry * Emilie Cole * being tired because you did something big, hard and cool that day * homemade pie * Northern Outfitters, Syracuse NY * Exit 315 off I-81 in VA (it leads home)* Surprising someone with an unexpected gift * Grilled cheese and tomato soup * The Adirondack Mountains * Stab's Pizza-- “Ehy! TWO SLICES!”* Big round hay bales * West Virginia * Finishing writing a song * Josh Marshall * ESF Mugs * Smartwool Socks * Bedhead * Brushing your teeth with all your favorite people in the bathroom doing the same thing * Having a sit-down dinner * Indigo Girls * Small towns * Silence * Allergy medication * Canceled classes * My own bed * Nick Bantock and all his books * Snowshoeing * ESF's Huntington Lodge * Topo maps * Biscuits & sausage gravy, the southern way * Finishing the Daily Orange crossword * Folding camp chairs * New CDs * livetoplay.com * Amelia Pipkin * Jeans that give you a good butt * Big piles of dry leaves to jump in * Really cool stationary * Webbing belts * Napster * Campfire sing-a-longs/concerts *The Jukebox at Edna's in Franklin, WV * Girl Scout cookies * Mini-golf * Sleeping in a tank-top for the first time all season * The occasional cat-call* headlamps *
Some of the things are distinctly Syracuse. My college was actually called, to be long winded: The State University of New York—College of Environmental Science and Forestry at Syracuse University, or ESF for short. Each new student was given an ESF travel coffee mug, and that was the only cup they had for every on-campus event. We didn't use disposable cups at all. If you didn't bring your own, you didn't have one. Boland 2 was my frosh year floor, a group of girls I still talk to at times. Law 404 was my room sophomore year. Amy was my roommate. Amelia was my best friend from high school, who is still the wisest and most godly woman I know under the age of 35. Franklin, WV is where SUOC would go for spring break every year, and Edna's was literally someone's living room that was converted into a bar in the evening hours. It was awkwardly awesome. I guess Edna has since passed away, but that jukebox ruled. Stab's Pizza is a sketchy pizza place/grocery store in Westcott Nation that can't fully be recalled in the blog setting, but is fully worth a visit. Especially after a few hours at Taps next door. Josh Marshall was my boyfriend at the time, and still retains a spot on my current list of things to be happy about. Napster: well screw you, knowledge of pirating music.
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