Photo by Chris Lawton, courtesy of Unsplash

One of these days, I came across a documentary on HBO called Every Brilliant Thing, where a young boy tries to cure his mother’s depression by creating a list of the best things in the world. The list includes items such as “ice cream” and “Star Trek.” I liked the idea, especially because I have been trying (really hard) to stop focusing on bad things, complaining and gossiping; and it instead focuses on good things. I am well aware of the fact that it is easier to focus on the negativity. Take, for example, how people criticize more than praise others. Try scrolling down your Facebook page and count the positive x negative posts. Focusing on the positivity takes effort; it is not as easy and natural as being negative.

Therefore, I decided to go the extra mile and, instead of losing my time and sanity scrolling down my social media channels, taking the time to compile a list of all the good things in my life. Here it is:

1. Sleeping.
2. Sleeping on the couch watching TV on the weekend.
3. Remaining on bed doing nothing for a while after naturally waking up with no alarm on the weekend.
4. My bed.
5. Weekends.
6. Massage.
7. Feet massage.
8. Face massage.
9. Carefully smearing moisturizer on my feet after taking a shower at the end of the day.
10. Child smile and/or laughter.
11. Drinking water when I am really thirsty.
12. Taking a day off in the middle of the week to do something really nice.
13. Taking a cold shower when it is really hot.
14. Taking a nice shower after exercising a lot at the gym.
15. Manicure.
16. Pedicure.
17. Having my hair washed at the hairdresser’s.
18. A nice, frank in-person conversation with that dear friend you have not seen for a long time.
19. Routine.
20. Staying at nice hotels.
21. Nice hotel breakfast.
22. Sunset.
23. Beach.
24. The sound of the waves at the beach.
25. Sunbathing.
26. Fresh coconut water.
27. The smell of a new book.
28. The smell of new clothes.
29. The smell of nicely clean bed sheets.
30. Wearing new clothes for the first time.
31. Vacation.
32. Clouds.
33. Sky.
34. Flying.
35. Dressing up.
36. Laughing until crying.
37. Dancing.
38. Singing along to live music I really like.
39. The mixed feeling of emotions that include exhaustion and mission accomplished after a hard workout. (Someone must create a word for it!)
40. London.
41. Guinness.
42. Having a pint of Guinness at an English pub.
43. Cinema.
44. Watching a movie (at the cinema or at home) eating popcorn.
45. Tight hugs.
46. Some people’s smiles.
47. My birthday.
48. Being pampered on my birthday.
49. Presents.
50. Getting something I really wanted or love without expecting.
51. Listening to a Brit talk.
52. Reading a good book.
53. Stretching out.
54. Receiving a visit.
55. Traveling.
56. Talking about life.
57. Receiving a handwritten letter.
58. Writing hand-written letters.
59. Receiving things from the postman, especially when unexpected.
60. Eating.
61. Visiting a new place for the first time.
62. Watching movies that make me laugh, cry and/or reflect.
63. The smell of coffee.
64. Cheese.
65. When my 3-year-old nephew/godson says “dindá” (dinda is an affectionate way of saying godmother in Portuguese, especially by children).
66. Piano music.
67. Eating out.
68. Trying new things.
69. Autumn leaves.
70. Great views.
71. Knowing I do not have to wake up early the next day.
72. English scones with cream and jam.
73. Popcorn.
74. Having a hot drink in a cozy, warm place when it is really cold.
75. Having a really cold beer when it is scorching hot.
76. Friends.
77. Family.
78. My cousins.
79. Friendly, smiley unknown people.
80. Violin music.
81. Living by myself.
82. Silence.
83. Chocolate and all its forms.
84. Walking barefoot after cleaning the house.
85. Wearing PJs.
86. Traveling by myself.
87. Eating out.
88. Watching Friends.
89. Watermelon.
90. Finally (unexpectedly) finding something I have been looking for for a while.
91. Prosecco.
92. Alice in Wonderland.
93. Freedom: being able to do whatever I want whenever I want.
94. Christmas.
95. New Year.
96. My sister’s chocolate cake.
97. Meeting new people.
98. Learning something new.
99. When people I love and care about are happy.
100. My own and very company.

I could easily go on with my list, and I will certainly try to keep it growing, but you got the idea.

What do you think of my list? Is there anything that you also enjoy? Would you add anything to it? I would love to hear your thoughts. And should you feel like writing one of your own, please let me know somehow (ping back to this post, tag me and/or use the hashtag #AllAmazingThings). Sometimes we forget some amazing things in our lives, taking them for granted, so it is good to become aware of them again. 🙂