“These are a few of my favorite things.” — The Sound of Music
There are a million reasons to stay alive.
But, we have days or seasons when we struggle to name one.
We slowly get out of bed with a blurry periphery, applying a lifeless imagination to the day. We don't have the energy to tell better stories -- the stories we know to be true. Our despair reduces life to mere survival, to a day we just have to get through. In that posture, it is hard to pay attention to the weirdness and wildness around you -- to the ordinary beauty that lingers in familiar places.
Slow down.
Consider all the things that keep you alive. Those things that invite you into the present where, in all your glory and ugliness, you can be human.
Almost 20 years ago, when this thing called depression entered my story, my counselor said to me, "Find what you enjoy doing and make time to do those things."
He wasn't talking about the bigger things like vocation or career but the smaller joys like hiking or playing basketball. It is a simple challenge but one we often misplace because we are too tired or don't have the time. But there is always time (yes, there is). And you may think that some of these things are a waste of time, but often, the wasteful things are the most beautiful, the most urgent.
So, take some time to consider all the reasons you have to stay alive. Make a list. See and remember that you have a million reasons to stay alive (And you can get through the days when it's hard to find one thing. It may mean someone reading your list to you).
My Reasons to Stay Alive (just to name a few):
Holding my wife's hand
A great novel
Dark chocolate
Poetry
Long walks (on the beach if you prefer)
A long slow kiss
Love making
A slow, quiet morning
Getting a letter in the mail
Writing a song
Talking about cars with my kids
Praying with my wife
Listening to my kids make music
Singing in church
Reading a psalm
Laughing with my kids
Listening to music
Playing video games with my kids
The tears of a friend
Drawing with my kids
Sitting by the lake
Holding my daughter's hand
Stars
Hiking
Cheeseburgers
The possibility in a blank notebook
Page 1 of a new book
Wandering through bookstores
Falling asleep to a thunderstorm
Listening to Arvo Part's music
A roaring fire
A photograph
Long, hot shower
Cold plunge (just kidding)
Wandering a new city
hot bath
memes
A long embrace
A text from a friend that sees me
Someone telling me I'll be okay
Cappuccinos
Sunsets
Whiskey (especially Rye)
Endless to-read lists
Key lime pie
Working in the yard
The love of God.
