Things that bring me joy

Please keep doing this

Photo courtesy of Anastasia Shuraeva/Pexels

If you are a regular reader of The Lamron, you might have noticed that my last article got a little bit negative. For that, I sincerely apologize. With finals on their way, I think we have had enough of that attitude, and we could all use a bit of joy. To make up for it, I have decided to take on the task of sharing my favorite things that people do—my reverse pet peeves. So, here is a list of five things I love, so everyone knows to keep on doing them:

1.Soaking up the sun 

As the weather gets nicer (albeit incredibly inconsistently), it is so fun watching people spend more time outside. Walking by the green on the way to class and watching people read their books, talk to friends, or throw around a frisbee will never fail to make me smile. Everyone seems to light up as soon as the sun comes out, and witnessing that joy is so delightful. 

2. Sharing passions 

Watching someone rant about their favorite things and getting to hear everything they know about a topic will always make me happy—especially when that topic is very niche and I don’t know anything about it. You love to talk about women’s fashion in the Balkans? Perfect, I’d love to hear about it! If you ever see me around, feel free to stop me and fill me in on your recent obsessions—I promise I will be an enthusiastic audience. 

3. Little acts of kindness

Big acts of kindness are obviously also appreciated, but it is the little things that bring me great joy. For example, imagine: you’re leaving class, you’re in a rush, and you have had a stressful day. On your way out, someone who is clearly pretty far ahead of you and could simply let the door shut holds it open. You have to do the awkward slight jog to make it there, but you get to smile and say thank you, and suddenly your day is just that little bit better. Little acts of kindness like this make day-to-day life that much more enjoyable and easier to get through. 

4. Sharing what you have pride in

I love when people share the things they are proud of, whether that is their ability to paint, draw, write, play an instrument, dance, or anything else you can imagine. Having a crafty friend show their most recent collage or keychain, created exactly how they wanted it, feels like a beautiful moment to both cheer them on and get a little bit of insight into how they function creatively. It is another way to get to know a person, and it is also just so fun to see the way their pride shines through in their creativity. 

5. Being quick to laugh 

Things can get hard sometimes, and after a difficult day, laughing with a friend can genuinely turn everything around. You could be having the worst day of your semester—even the worst day you’ve had in years—and having a friend to be there with you and laugh about something stupid (or even about the situation at hand) is essential. I love people who are quick to joke and quick to laugh—especially when the laughter can coexist with serious, deep conversations. 

I hope this made you a little bit happier in reading and remembering all the things you love about people, too. It is so important to remember what we are grateful for and what we love, particularly as end-of-semester stress increases and many of us yearn for the freedom of summer days to come. Look around you in the present moment, and begin noticing little moments of joy to get you through the day!