What Do You Love?

My mom and I both love wearing the people that bring us joy. My mom loves Barbra Streisand and has a shirt with her face on it. I love the poet Andrea Gibson and I have a sweatshirt with a quote from them that says:

I said to the sun, Tell me about the Big Bang. The sun said, ‘It hurts to become.’

Sadly, earlier this week, Andrea passed away from cancer. They were a true light, and this is why their passing made me experience waves of grief even though we never met.

It’s no surprise that word of Andrea’s death flooded across social media and was covered by national news. They touched the lives of many. Andrea used words to bridge a unifying sense of togetherness among people who shared both commonalities and differences. Words were their tool to open hearts and tear down walls of hate. They invited the reader to set aside labels and recognize our shared humanity, despite the side we stand on.

It is easy to get sucked into collective negative thinking in a world with so much darkness and angst. But Andrea chose to stand for joy. Joy doesn’t harm, nor does it care who wins or loses. It is unconditional. Joy swells up and circulates within us when we feel a sense of understanding about ourselves and others. It reminds us of our interconnectedness. Joy doesn’t rely on external judgment or validation to exist. Instead, it just is. When we experience joy, we feel more alive. This aliveness gives us the strength to pull fellow humans out of the collective black hole of negative thinking. It is our lifeline back to what is. Our shared joy helps awaken this light within others, which we must do, so it can spread like wildfire into the hearts of those who need it most. And we all need joy if we wish to thrive.

Andrea spoke of radicalizing our joy, not as a distraction or as false positivity, but as a weapon against oppression, separation, and injustice. Expressing joy is a revolutionary act because systems built on the misuse of power depend on our exhaustion, despair, and division to survive. We can use joy to rise above the many injustices of the world and refuse to let our bound spirits become defeated. This act is radical and serves as an invitation for us to love life fiercely, while taking steps to better them and protect what we love.

Joy and grief can exist together. We can hold sorrow in one hand and celebration in the other rather than define ourselves by our suffering alone. We can call on joy in the presence of pain and use it as medicine to heal our individual and collective struggles. Then, when we leave this world, there will be less pain left behind for the next generation to heal and more for them to enjoy.

Joy And Love Conquer All

A while back, Andrea wrote a piece called: A List of Things I Love. She ended by asking readers the question: “What do you love today?”

Remembering what we love is a practice that helps us access our inner well of joy. It serves as a reminder that much of what we love is free and requires only our presence.

Drawing our attention to this question can alleviate our fears and anger. Once we give our brains the task of identifying what we love, they’ll likely bring our attention to things and places we never knew contained love. Next thing we know, we can’t help but see love everywhere.

This question can also help unite us with each other. Although we are different from one another, we likely can find commonalities in the things we love and our shared desire to be loved.

Do Something Radical

Andrea was a much-needed light in this world. But we all are. And as Andrea reminds us, there has never been a time when your light was needed more.

So, to help us shine a little brighter, I challenge you to do something radical and answer the question: “What do you love today?” Then, share your list with someone you love and challenge them to do the same.

And if you really love it and it brings you joy, you can always wear it as a T-shirt.

Things I Love Today

I love how a cup of coffee (or two) postpones the start of the day. I love dogs. SO much. And how mine chooses to be near me. I love snow days. I love dad jokes, but only sometimes. I love our sassy chicken, Monica, and so does my husband, Joe, though he won’t admit it.

I love the sound, smell, taste, and shared experience of a bag of popcorn. I love turtles of all kinds, especially box turtles like my first pet, Todd. I love people-watching in airports and making up stories about where they’re going.

I love how the grandpa I never met owned the first ski store in Reno. He put my Dad on his first pair of skis. My Dad put me on mine. My Dad and I both love skiing. And so does my son.

I love a good roller coaster. I love furry-faced animals, who are too fierce and majestic to embrace. I love rituals and traditions. I love good ideas and the idea of living on a farm, although that’s not a good idea. But I do love goats.

I love cookie dough ice cream, but mostly just the cookie dough. I love the sound of the rain, the ocean, and the piano. I love rollerblading. Fast.

I love when misunderstandings become understanding. And when I can take a walk in another’s shoes until suddenly, it all makes sense.

I love friends who help friends overcome fears by offering a supportive hand or words of belief. I love dusk in Nevada after a long, hot summer’s day. I love how my son Leo comes looking for me in our house just to say, ‘Mom, I love you.’

I love a hot shower. I love the smell of pine trees. I love journals and notebooks. And the act of making thoughts come to life on paper. I love dreaming of Plan B with Joe.

I love the girls I grew up with, who are now women, even though we still act like girls when we get together. I love my mom, and other moms, and how I get to be one.

I love friendly competition. I also love to win. I love rollie pollies and lightning bugs. I love when my sister raps.

I love our green home. I love the thought that we are all doing the best we can. I love how our hearts can communicate with our brains. I love going back to my childhood home and wearing my mom’s oversized shirts to bed, especially the one with the Barbra Streisand face.

I love Joe and Leo (which I thought was a given. But Joe disagreed. So I added them to the list). I love how I can tell Joe anything and he holds my confessions with so much love and without judgement. I love how Leo is a light I never knew I needed, and yet, I feel like he’s always been a part of me, and Joe and our story. I love having this blog as an outlet and a space that Leo may one day explore.

I love all of you for reading and supporting it, so thank you.